


Love was growing teeth, you were spitting blood

by galacticmilkduds



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fight Club References, Inspired by Fight Club, M/M, Medical School, i'll be adding some relationships as i go along we'll see, ish it's just mentioned, jaehyun works in a convenience store, mark happens to be his regular customer with bruises all over his face, ten and johnny are jaehyun's roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:47:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24435349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galacticmilkduds/pseuds/galacticmilkduds
Summary: If you told sixteen-year old Jaehyun that he’d be one of those deadbeat young adults, juggling between odd jobs. His primary worry of the year is hoping the toilet doesn’t flood and eating spam straight from a can, without him even working on getting a college degree, sixteen year old Jaehyun would have laughed at your face.Despite that, Jaehyun felt fine. He felt like himself for the first time in ages. Johnny suggested he take this time to really understand what he wanted from himself, to really get to know who Jung Jaehyun was.But so far, Jaehyun hadn’t taken the opportunity to do just that, until a boy with bruises blooming over his face bled on the cashier counter.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Mark Lee
Comments: 7
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: I'll be mentioning a lot of blood, cuts, bruises, the whole shebang, so if you ain't about that, then maybe you shouldn't read this.
> 
> This is Fight Club inspired, but not really an au. Just some of the main elements I picked up from the film. 
> 
> Title and also story inspiration is from the song Write It on Your Heart by Bad Bad Hats. Not forcing you to listen or anything, but it's a pretty good song, so *wildly gestures*

If you told sixteen-year old Jaehyun that he’d be one of those deadbeat young adults, juggling between odd jobs. His primary worry of the year is hoping the toilet doesn’t flood and eating spam straight from a can, without him even working on getting a college degree, sixteen year old Jaehyun would have laughed at your face.

The reality was, this was Jaehyun’s present, and probably future, but he didn’t want to think about it.

A few years back, Jaehyun was easily the most ambitious and competitive student in his high school. He was an honor student, president of the student council, captain of the basketball team, stage design manager for their theatre club, organizer of many events and parties for the school and sometimes in other clubs as a favor to his friends. He loved and was beloved by all, faculty and cleaning staff included. Everyone, including Jaehyun himself, saw he had a bright future ahead of him.

That is, until his homeroom teacher handed his class a piece of paper, with the words “CAREER PATH” written boldly across the sheet. Jaehyun answered the obligatory questions of which universities he applied for, what courses, where his talents lie, etc. Piece of cake, really.

When it came to the last question, asking “Is this your choice or your parents/peers?” Jaehyun paused. He stared at the question, pen in hand struggling for an answer but his mind a complete blank. Of course, it was his choice, Jaehyun thought, haughtily. Why wouldn’t it be?

But was it really his choice? Jaehyun reflected him stressing over the student council elections. He took a step back and saw his friends urging him to try it for fun. He likes basketball, Jaehyun debated with himself, but saw the coach coaxing him into captaincy as there was no one else suitable for the job. What about theatre? Jaehyun thought, panicking. I love musicals and singing and- then, told himself he wasn’t even an actor, just a stage design manager because nobody else was willing to take on the task. Because of that, he didn’t have to time to join those who were singing and dancing on stage. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a stage design manager, but he didn’t necessarily sign up for theatre to rip his hair out during the times a prop got lost or was given the wrong print of the promotional posters.

And studying? Jaehyun could feel almost feel his parents hovering close by, watching every move he made. Ensuring each answer he gave in his assignment was close to perfect.

Suddenly, Jaehyun realized he never properly thought about this. He never actually sat down and did what he _really_ wanted. Sure, he involved himself on things that might be of interest to him. However, the key word was _might_. He didn’t particularly enjoy those things. Then there was his “life plan”: college, get a job, maybe starting a family. The path everyone went down, especially people like Jaehyun, with impeccable academic and behavioral records.

Jaehyun felt himself sweating profusely and feebly raised his hand to be excused and go to the nurse’s office. When the homeroom teacher allowed him, he grabbed his bag and ran out of school instead, heading home. As he plopped on his bed when he arrived home, he inhaled and screamed into his pillow.

To say that everyone who knew him was disappointed, was an understatement.

Jaehyun, upon the revelation that he doesn’t truly know what he wanted, had stopped trying altogether. He quit all his responsibilities in the student council, his sport, and his prior engagements with his orgs. From a solid 95 to 100, his grades plummeted to a 60 and below. Aghast by this poor performance, he would get screams left and right by his parents. It was a miracle he was even able to graduate from high school. With no plans to even submit his college applications, his parents shut him out and his friends turned away from him.

He had only one place to go.

Johnny, at that time, working on his pre-med degree as a psychology student, was more than surprised to see his cousin Jaehyun at his doorstep, looking like an absolute wreck. He ushered him in and helped him settle down. A few weeks later, Jaehyun feeling terrible for overstaying (Johnny shook his head vehemently and assured Jaehyun that he can stay with him for as long as he liked), got all kinds of jobs to at least help Johnny pay the rent to his apartment. He got hired as a waiter for a couple of restaurants, a janitor in a law firm, a shelf stacker in two groceries, and a cashier in a convenience store.

If you told sixteen-year old Jaehyun this was how his life would turn out, he would probably smack you in the face.

Despite that, Jaehyun felt _fine_. He felt like himself for the first time in ages. Johnny suggested he take this time to really understand what he wanted from himself, to really get to know who Jung Jaehyun was.

But so far, Jaehyun hadn’t taken the opportunity to do just that, until a boy with bruises blooming over his face bled on the cashier counter.

-

It was around one in the morning. Jaehyun took the ungodly hours shift because, well, he had nothing better to do with his time. Plus, the pay was okay, considering he was just working on the cash register of a twenty-four convenience store.

Jaehyun was reading a book on his phone when he heard the door chime to signal a customer entered. Jaehyun immediately stuffed his phone in his pocket and stood ramrod straight. He saw the customer was peering at the junk food aisle, and grabbing a couple of hotdogs, onigiris, and a full liter of coke. When the customer brought all the contents to the counter, Jaehyun’s eyes unconsciously widened.

The customer was a young man, probably a few years younger than Jaehyun, with brown hair splotched with streaks of yellow dye. But that wasn’t the problem.

It was just that the guy had numerous cuts and bruises all over his face, eyes swollen and nose bleeding. No biggy.

Jaehyun thought he must have looked more openly than he should have, because the guy glared (or he thought he did, he couldn’t tell through that beat-up face) and growled: “Got any problem?”

Jaehyun snapped out of his reverie and mumbled a “no, sir,” and scanned the items, flustered.

“Eight thousand five hundred won,” Jaehyun said, and before he asked the bruised stranger if he wanted to put his items in a plastic bag, said stranger dumped a bunch of coins on the counter and grabbed his stuff, kicking the glass door open, leaving Jaehyun simultaneously dumbfounded and annoyed, now that he had to make sure that the of coins the customer gave was the correct amount.

-

After the initial shock of seeing a guy who seemed to have been sucker punched by the mafia, Jaehyun forced himself to brush it aside and put it down as one of the obligatory strange encounters he’d most likely come across his odd jobs.

Yet, he was not allowed to put his mind at rest, because three days later, the same stranger came back. It was around quarter to two in the morning this time, Jaehyun was closing to falling asleep when the bells of the door chimed. As he rubbed his eyes and fixed his shirt, someone placed their purchases on the counter. When Jaehyun looked up, he forced himself not to react as blatantly as he did a couple days ago. It was the same guy, although his nose and eyes are still multiple shades of purple, they were less swollen. Now, his lips were busted and his left his jaw blossoming into mixture of red and violet. Jaehyun quickly noted there were bloodstains on the stranger’s clothes, but he knew better than to question aloud if that was his blood or someone else’s. He scanned the items and before he could ask again if he needed a bag, the guy dumped a handful of coins on the counter, swiped the items away, and kicked the glass door open. Jaehyun counted the money and placed them into the cash register.

This went on for a couple of weeks, spanning three to four days every encounter. The stranger always came between one to three in the morning, with a bruised face, and buying almost the same items: a couple of hotdogs and onigiris, there was the occasional bag of chips, and the soft drink varies from either coke or fanta. Within these meetings, they never spoke to each other, the guy never uttering a word except for that first encounter. Other than that, the only time someone said anything was Jaehyun stating the price of his purchase. Without fail, the boy dumps his coins, grabs the stuff, and kicks the door open. Without fail, Jaehyun has to count the coins, even if by now he’s certain the stranger pays the exact amount. Still, he has to be a good employee and make sure.

-

It’s already been a month and a half since receiving the boy with perpetual bruises as the convenience store’s loyal customer, and one of the days that Jaehyun doesn’t have a shift, he’s cleaning Johnny’s apartment.

Johnny’s uni friend, Ten, had dropped by and was completing his lab work on their coffee table. Ten was a first year when Johnny was about to graduate pre-med and move to actual med school, but they remained good friends until now and drops by to annoy Johnny when he can. But since Johnny’s rarely home now with the amount of work med school piles on him, he resorted to annoying Jaehyun and making his space a mess as much as possible. Secretly, Jaehyun doesn’t mind, but he’d rather be caught dead than to ever voice out that thought.

“Move your filthy ass out of the way before I suck you into space,” Jaehyun said, threatening Ten with his vacuum, who was sprawled on the floor reading some handouts.

“That’s what she said,” Ten retorted, but sitting up anyway and giving space for Jaehyun to clean.

As Jaehyun cleaned the “living room” area (if you can even call it that, as there not even a divider between the kitchen and the living room), he spotted Ten’s reading materials and saw pictures of bruises and scarring. The boy with an eternal black and blue face came to mind, and Jaehyun realized he doesn’t really know what the stranger looked like behind the black and blue.

“What you studying there?” Jaehyun asked, as nonchalantly as possible.

Ten spared a glance at his direction before answering. “Hm, just some medical cases. It’s for a group presentation. Why?”

Jaehyun shrugged. “Nothing, just curious.” Ten made a non-committal sound and went back to reading.

After Jaehyun vacuumed and scrubbed the area around Ten, he willed himself to not say anything more about the matter, but his stupid tongue got the better of him, and before he could properly filter what he was about to say, he blurted “would you know what happens if you keep getting constantly beat up in the face? Will you be bruised forever?”

Ten, who had brought his laptop out and was vigorously typing, looked up with raised eyebrows. Jaehyun felt guilty for even asking him, but he had gone and done it, so might as well take it into stride.

“Jaehyun,” Ten said, slowly shutting his laptop. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Jaehyun bristled. “No.” Ten now raised one eyebrow and crossed his arms. “Okay, yes, but er, you don’t need to tell Johnny.”

Ten’s eyes suddenly gleamed, a smile splitting on his face. “Tea? Ohhh yes, spill sis.”

“No, nothing that bad, you gossip whore,” Jaehyun said, rolling his eyes. “Well, I don’t know, it depends. So there’s this guy-“

“Is he cute?” Ten interrupted. Jaehyun waved a hand before Ten’s face.

“Is that all that matters to you? And no. Actually, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Ten asked, incredulous. “How could you not know? I mean, we may have different tastes but-“

“Not that! Will you let me finish?” Jaehyun hissed. When Ten became silent, although a patronizing look left in its wake, Jaehyun continued. “There’s this guy who comes to my late-night shifts in the convenience store.”

“And?”

“And, well, his face is always beat up. Like, he buys the same things and all, but he’s always bruised-“ Jaehyun gestures around his face “-and he always bleeds! I mean, so far he hasn’t bled on the floor or anything, but his clothes always have blood, and I don’t know if it’s his.”

“Are you saying he might be a murderer?” Ten inquired, much too excited for his own good.

Jaehyun shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. Actually, you know, forget I said anything okay? It’s not as if we talk.”

After a beat, Ten adjusted his sitting position. “Well, I mean if he’s normal. Meaning, no sicknesses or anything, then you think he gets beat up often? And if so, then it might not be good for his face in general. His bones will weaken and if his eyes are also included, then maybe the sight will dim. Who knows? The amount of times and the level of his endurance kind of matters.”

Jaehyun absorbed what Ten had just told him and nodded. “Okay, thanks.”

Ten stared at him and sighed. “Well, now that you told me, be careful, okay? So far, in my limited experience, the sight of blood, especially not within the confines of a tube, is never a good sign.”

Jaehyun smiled. “Yeah, yeah, now can you be useful for once and help me make dinner? Johnny said he might be home early.”

Ten shot him a skeptical look. “And by early, you mean…?”

“Seven.”

“Seven?” Ten said, surprised. “Now that _is_ early. What happened?”

“I dunno,” Jaehyun shrugged. “Something about his evening prof breaking his collarbone or something. So, can you get your ass in the kitchen and chop these onions, please?”

-

Then it happened, almost expectantly, but still shocking, nonetheless.

The beat-up stranger had come so often that Jaehyun noted which specific nights he came, and that was usually a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and sometimes even Saturday. However, it was a Thursday night, and even if the boy did nothing bad to Jaehyun, the latter felt he could let his guard down tonight.

But he shouldn’t have. That was the first mistake.

It was already relatively late in his night shift and he would just have to wait one more hour for the next attendant to take over. Jaehyun was computing the night’s sales, while mindlessly scratching the back of his neck (he had Ten cut his hair while Johnny watched with a smirk on his face; Jaehyun complained to Ten that he had cut asymmetrically, but the latter ignored him and continued to chatter nonsensically about how great of a hairdresser he is) when the door chimed open. Jaehyun glanced up and briefly greeted the customer, but the person already burrowed himself in one of the shelves at the back. As Jaehyun pressed harshly on the store’s faltering calculator, when the customer dumped (rather violently) the items on the counter. When Jaehyun looked up from the accounting books, he saw that the items were covered in red.

It was the weird regular of his, but this time, he wasn’t only smothered with bruises, but oozing with the same red. Blood, Jaehyun belatedly registered as he followed the blood dripping from his nose and lips to the floor.

Jaehyun always thought he was good at controlling his emotions, especially with his face. Tonight, though, really tested his abilities to do so, as he stood transfixed in front of the stranger.

He couldn’t tell the guy’s expression, because for the second time since the first encounter, he growled: “Something the matter?”

Before Jaehyun could say anything, the stranger suddenly gripped the counter’s edges, knuckles blending into a mix of red and white. Without warning, the stranger, then, collapsed on the floor, the blood staining the counter’s edges.

Jaehyun immediately ran out of the counter and pulled the guy towards him, gripping his shoulders and cradling his body in a panic, a thought of _he’s scrawnier than I imagined_ fleetingly passed through Jaehyun’s train of thought. He pulled out his phone from the back pocket and dialed the emergency landline when the stranger gripped his wrist, tightly. Jaehyun gasped at the sudden contact and stared wide-eyed at the boy.

“Don’t,” the guy snarled, his grip tightening each second.

“What?” Jaehyun said, faintly noticing how soaked his shirt is getting from the blood. Oh god. Oh god oh god _oh god_ -

“Don’t you dare call the fucking hospital!” The stranger bit out, as if every word took the biggest effort out of his energy, which wasn’t surprising, considering how much blood he must be losing right now.

“Are you crazy?” Jaehyun hissed. “You need medical assista-“

“PLEASE!” The boy shouted, voice raspy and pleading. “Not the hospital. Not the hospital, please. Please.” And suddenly, the boy’s voice softened and uttered something so quietly Jaehyun wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t at the proximity he was in.

“You- you cut your hair.” Then Jaehyun feels the grip on his wrist loosening and saw the boy pass out.

Alarmed, Jaehyun completed dialing the emergency hotline and closed in on pressing the call button. But he doesn’t. He quickly again looked down at the boy who had blacked out in his arms. The stranger was absolutely rigid about Jaehyun not calling the hospital, but why should he listen to him? He could die right now if he didn’t get the proper medical attention he deserved. But he sounded near desperate about it. Jaehyun weighed his decisions, feeling the wetness of the blood spreading through his clothes. He groaned and dialed for another number instead.

About a couple minutes later, Ten rushed in with a tiny satchel. His eyes looked as if they were to pop out of his sockets when he spotted Jaehyun.

“Holy shit!” Ten said, loudly. Jaehyun agitatedly gestured for Ten to come towards him, who was beside him within seconds, gently but firmly holding the boy.

“You should have called a fucking hospital!” Ten berated, grabbing a couple of things out the satchel.

Jaehyun seethed. “You think I wouldn’t have? He told me not to.”

“He?” Ten said, incredulously. “He’s fucking _bleeding_ to death! We need to get him to emergency, NOW!”

“NO!” Jaehyun shouted. Ten shot him a look of intense disbelief and shock, all in one. Jaehyun would have felt guilty if not for the situation at hand. “Ten, fuck, sorry, but I can’t. He told me not to and I don’t know why, but we shouldn’t. Can you take care of him?”

Ten narrowed his eyes at Jaehyun, then sighed. “I don’t have time for this. Fuck. Okay, but I need to take him home. Gimme a hand.”

Jaehyun nodded, then helped the stranger get on Ten’s back and pack up the tiny, medicinal bottles Ten had brought out. Maybe it was the blood loss, or he was just much thinner than his clothes permitted the boy to be, but he was so light it felt like Jaehyun was carrying merely nothing. The thought disturbed him.

As Jaehyun followed Ten to the door, the latter turned around abruptly, glaring. “What are you doing?”

“Following you.”

Ten shook his head. “Aren’t you forgetting? You still have a shift.”

Jaehyun mentally hit himself. “Shit, but-“

“I can handle him, Jaehyun,” Ten grunted, adjusting the stranger’s position on his back as carefully as possible. “Clean up after this dude’s mess and just come home immediately, okay?”

When Ten was out of sight, Jaehyun mopped the floor and scrubbed the counter clean with the only available rags hidden in the store’s storage area. By the time the attendant with the next shift arrived, Jaehyun had the store look like something _not_ from a crime scene from CSI.

The attendant, a kind, petite girl, noticed Jaehyun paler than usual, eyes darting from the door to the floor in a crazed manner.

She frowned. “Hey, Jaehyun, something that matter?”

Jaehyun, changed outfit and jittery, shook his head. “Nope.”

“Are you sure?” the attendant asked, concerned. He looks like he’s seen a murder, she thought.

“I’m fine,” Jaehyun said, hand going through his hair. “I’ll, uh, go now.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks for your hard work.”

When Jaehyun exits, the girl leaned against the counter, following his form has he runs away. She felt something damp seep through her clothes and turns to look, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. She feels her way beneath the counter and registered something wet. She took her hand out and it was covered in red.

Startled, the girl looked up again to see if Jaehyun was still there, but he had already gone.

-

Jaehyun ran as fast as he could back to the apartment.

A thousand thoughts raced with him as he practically sprinted, but the biggest one that dominated his headspace was _is he going to die?_

Jaehyun quickly shook his head. That’s morbid, he thought, sickly. He’s going to be alright. He has to. _Fuck._

When he arrived, panting and on the verge of collapse, partly from the sudden extraneous use of his legs and partly from the nerves, he saw Ten dressing the stranger’s wounds on the sofa. Jaehyun dropped beside Ten, who was disinfecting an injury on the boy’s right temple.

“Good news, it’s not as bad as I thought. Apart from the bruises that seemed to be layered with even more bruises, the cut on his nose and lip, this gash here-“ referring to the temple “-and a couple of wounds on his knuckles-“ Jaehyun’s looks downwards to see the boy’s hands bound in gauze bandage “-he’s okay.”

Jaehyun blinked. “He fainted.”

“Yeah, well,” Ten said, finishing up with cleaning the wound. “From the looks of it, he’s either the clumsiest guy I’ve ever seen, or he’s been getting into fights he shouldn’t.” Ten gave Jaehyun a look between amusement and irritation. Ten had always been good at displaying two expressions at once. “The collapse was from exhaustion, though I can’t say for sure. He may have broken a rib for all we know, but I don’t know because we’re not at a goddamn hospital where they have the right equipment for this sort of thing.”

Jaehyun felt the guilt rising again, but pushed it down. “He told me-“

“He told you not to,” Ten reiterated, offering a tired smile. “I know, I know.”

After Ten made sure the boy’s bandages were secure, he got up and told Jaehyun he would wash up. When he had left, Jaehyun suddenly felt an irrational fear spike up within him. Oh, come on Jae, he berated himself. It’s not as if the guy will wake up and kill you, he’s fucking whacked for god’s sakes. He peered towards the stranger and surprise creeped up in his gut. He could see the boy’s face a bit clearly now. Albeit the band-aids and the ointments refrained his face from full view, Jaehyun could see pale skin and pouty lips. The former’s eyes wandered around his face, not knowing why he couldn’t stop staring. _He’s kinda-_

“Cute, isn’t he?” Jaehyun jumped at Ten’s voice, tone dripping with mischief. Jaehyun turned to see Ten, arms crossed and a small smile forming on his lips.

“I- no. I mean, I haven’t noticed,” Jaehyun said, all too quickly.

Ten’s smile widened. “Uh huh, sure.” His eyes flitted to the stranger again, looking at him up and down. “Good bone structure,” Ten remarked.

Jaehyun blinked. “Huh?”

Ten pointed at his own face. “Cheekbones.”

Jaehyun bit his lip and faced the stranger again. His mind was blank, but he felt his stomach churning. He didn’t know why, it’s not as if he was close to the guy, not as if he should personally be worried for his well-being.

Ten placed a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder. “You should rest,” Ten said. “I feel like you’re in more shock than he was.”

Jaehyun nodded. “Yeah, just give me a minute.”

Ten hummed. “I’ll tell you when I’m done using the shower, okay?” Then he left Jaehyun alone again with the boy wrapped up in bandages.

The room smelt thick of the medicinal creams Ten slathered on the guy’s face and blood. Jaehyun warily stared at the boy on the sofa, his face contorted in a frown, as if he also can’t quite believe he was here.

 _You cut your hair_.

Jaehyun didn’t know if he had heard correctly at the time, but he let himself process that bit of information. He had noticed. The boy had noticed he cut his hair, and despite probably feeling deep in shit, he said it to Jaehyun. Not for anything else, but Jaehyun was mostly astounded that the guy even remembered him. Of course, it was stupid not to discount that Jaehyun was always there when he bought things from the convenience store, but he didn’t think he was worth the remembering. He was just some store clerk, after all.

Jaehyun laid down beside the sofa, staring at the ceiling and hearing the faint patter of the shower running in the other room. He sighed and let his mind wander, letting the exhaustion finally take hold of him. Before he could stop himself, the reached his eyes and felt them drooping…

-

Jaehyun had never been afraid of blood.

He was an athletic person, so he was bound to come across the occasional sprain or broken limb. The only time he actually bled was when he tried to stop a fight ensuing in the hallways, getting punched in the process. The metallic tang of blood filling his mouth so fast, he hadn’t properly processed that he was hit in the jaw. The taste of it didn’t leave him for about a week, and he didn’t know if that was normal.

But now he saw the boy, with the bruises. In the dark abyss of his mind, he felt the cold wetness of blood on his hands and seeping through his clothes. The stench suffocating him and almost enveloping him in it. He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t.

Jaehyun had never been afraid of blood, but that doesn’t mean he hated it.

Abruptly, he got up, perspiration caking his back and forehead. He panted as if he had been on a marathon run. The room was dark, but he definitely knew he was in his bedroom. How did I get here? Jaehyun thought, then roughly rubbed his face. He didn’t care, he just felt extremely uncomfortable with the dampness of his shirt. He flung his blanket off and trudged to the bathroom, taking his shirt off and throwing it on the floor.

Then Jaehyun felt a chill down his spine as he heard a shuffle in the sofa area and turned his head towards the sound. In the dim softness of the night light in the living room, he saw the boy stare at him, eyes wide and questioning. The sweat clinging onto him suddenly felt cold and with the boy’s gaze on him, he shivered involuntarily.

“What am I doing here? Who are you?” The boy whispered harshly, the dim light softening his roguish features.

Jaehyun inhaled a sharp intake. “I’m Jaehyun. You’re hurt really bad, you should rest.”

“I don’t trust you,” the stranger spat, getting up. The bandages looked new again; Ten probably changed them some time ago, Jaehyun thought. “I’m leaving and don’t you try to stop me.”

Jaehyun doesn’t dare approach him, it felt as stupid as a tourist approaching a bear. However, he couldn’t let him just _leave_. He was hurt and probably still on whatever medication Ten had put into his system.

“Stop!” Jaehyun whispered, angrily. “I’m not gonna hurt you. Don’t you think I would have done that by just leaving you outside the convenience store or something?” If looks could kill, the stranger’s glare could have stabbed Jaehyun right in the gut.

But he needed to keep his ground. “I live in an apartment with two soon-to-be-doctors.” Jaehyun didn’t have time to explain that Ten didn’t actually live with them, but whatever. He pointed to one of the rooms. “One of them saved your life, so if I were you, I would calm the fuck down and go back to sleep and _pull yourself together._ ”

The stranger blinked in astonishment for Jaehyun’s sudden burst of anger. But Jaehyun was tired, the sweat bothered him, and the smell of blood lingered in his dreams.

The boy stared at him for another beat, then sighed. He slowly sat down on the bed and scoffed weakly at Jaehyun.

“Do you usually walk around the house taking your clothes off?” the boy asked, settling himself onto the couch. Jaehyun felt his neck heat up.

“No, I-“ Jaehyun started, then huffed through his nose. “I live here.” Well, he technically didn’t. He was _crashing_ here, but again, he doesn’t think he needed to explain that to him. “I can do whatever I want.”

The boy held his hands up. “Hey man, I was just saying.”

Jaehyun narrowed his eyes, then snorted. He headed towards the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Jaehyun gripped the sides of the sink and looked into the mirror. He was deathly pale, red-rimmed eyes, and incredibly sweaty. In some ways, he didn’t blame the guy for wanting to leave when seeing Jaehyun; he looked like shit.

He splashed water on his face and even ran his fingers through his hair. Jaehyun knew Johnny left a couple of shirts in a plastic box (because Johnny’s closet was too small to fit all his clothes) and put one on. It smelled strongly of detergent, which calmed Jaehyun down. When he exited the bathroom, he saw the stranger lying down, but peering at the former. The light gave a certain glint in his eyes, not scary or anything, just strangely intense.

“Go to sleep,” Jaehyun heard himself say. He didn’t know why, it’s not like he had any authority over him.

Jaehyun heard a stranger breathed what sounded like a laugh. He wasn’t sure. “You’re not the boss of me.” With that statement, the stranger seemed younger than his attitude had permitted him. His wide eyes and cheekbones making him look boyish.

Jaehyun stared and waved a hand dismissively. “Whatever, doctor’s orders.”

“You’re not a doctor,” the boy said, matter-of-factly. Jaehyun crossed his arms.

“And how would you know?”

“You would have said you were a ‘soon-to-be’ doctor instead of referring to your roommates,” the boy said, turning on his side and leaning his black-and-blue cheek on his fist. “But you didn’t. Also, you work late night shifts in a twenty-four hour convenience store. I doubt that med students would have time for that.”

 _Perceptive little shit_. “How would you know?”

A flicker of a smile passed on the boy’s lips. It was the first time Jaehyun had seen an expression other than anger or contempt. It was refreshing; it fit him more than the frowns and the glares. “I just do.”

Jaehyun uncrossed his arms and jutted a thumb towards his room. “I’m gonna sleep now. You should too. Night.”

As Jaehyun closed his door, he heard the boy saying “good night, Jaehyun.” When he clicked his door shut, he realized his palms were sweating. He didn’t know why.

-

The light peeked through Jaehyun’s blinds, light directly shining on his face. He groaned and turned to his side. He rubbed the muck out of his eyes and opened them to view his alarm clock. 8:03am. He still had an hour to get ready and rush to one of his café jobs. He heard laughter float into his room, it was most likely Johnny and Ten bickering about something trivial. They expounded great amounts of energy in so early the morning, Jaehyun can’t comprehend how they could even manage more than ten syllables before coffee. Even when Jaehyun was a straight A student, he was never enough of a morning person to actually start studying with the sunrise.

So, believe to his surprise when he came out of his room to not see Johnny laughing with Ten, but the stranger last night. If it weren’t for his bandages and bruises, he would have looked as if he deliberately visited Johnny for a chat over morning coffee. Ten was in the kitchen preparing what looked like scrambled eggs, though Jaehyun wasn’t sure, as it just looked like a yellow blob with burnt marks sticking to it.

Both Johnny and the boy turned to Jaehyun when he entered, the latter nodding to him and the former giving a look of _I won’t say anything, but we will talk later_.

“Hi Jaehyun,” Johnny greeted with a deliberate slowness that Jaehyun couldn’t decipher. “Sleep well?”

Jaehyun scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Yeah, what time did you get here?”

Johnny checked his watch. “Huh, I think about two hours ago. Oh shit, I need to get back to school, I’m gonna be late.” Johnny, then, attempted to lightly slap the boy’s arm, to which he deflected with a loud _OI._ “Damn, Mark, this is your fault.”

The boy laughed, nose scrunching up. Leave it to Johnny to make the most menacing of men warm up to him in a couple of hours, Jaehyun meekly thought. “Hey! It’s not my fault. You were the one who brought up Good Will Hunting, which is the bestest movie, by the way-“

“In your opinion,” Johnny snorted.

“Hey! That’s my favorite movi-“

“Sorry, what?” Jaehyun cut in. The two looked back at him, bewildered. Jaehyun felt a knot in his stomach.

“What?” Johnny said.

Jaehyun fidgeted. “I’m- no I mean, he’s- who is-“

“Mark,” the boy said, the smallest and most careful of smiles forming on his lips. Probably the cut refraining from smiling any wider. Jaehyun willed himself to not stare at his mouth too long. “I’m Mark. Nice to meet you, Jaehyun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk much about medical stuff, so I had to ask my med student friends about these kinds of things without raising their suspicions cos they don't know it's for a fic akskskd well I hope it's kinda realistic lol


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of blood, bruises, fighting
> 
> Dsiclaimer: This is just inspired from the Fight Club, it's not an au. I just got some elements from the movie, so the other stuff I put in like the rules are just from my imagination.

Jaehyun was not exactly having a “good day.”

His distraction had led him to taking and giving the wrong orders, exchanging the salt for the sugar (the customer spat out his coffee on Jaehyun’s apron), and colliding with a customer as he was about to serve milkshakes, the beverage spilling everywhere and earning Jaehyun a scolding from both the manager and the customers. He was told to spend overtime to clean up the mess, as well as filling in for the shifts of the other waiters that weren’t able to come since Jaehyun didn’t have enough money to pay for the broken glass.

He had never been a clumsy person. All his actions had always been meticulously calculated; as a basketball player, he had a high-carbohydrate diet consisting mostly of fruits, vegetables, bread, and rice. His job as a student council president and stage design manager required his voice to be in pristine form to give the needed assignment and speeches over big, rowdy crowds, so he only drank warm water and never ate chocolate to ensure his vocal chords wouldn’t strain. He rarely crammed an assignment because he bullet-journaled (though he never admitted to anyone he did; it felt embarrassing to say he spent his entire Saturday afternoon organizing a spreadsheet that will only be seen by him) all his tasks down to a T. He wasn’t just an ideal student, but the ideal person. Someone any kid, holding their parents hands, say “I want to be just like him, mommy!”

And said ideal person was slipping on the steps back to the kitchen, sleeves and fingers grubby from the milkshake and the cutlery on the floor.

It wasn’t Jaehyun’s fault entirely, or so he would like to think. He couldn’t help but replay the events that happened that morning and recalling them made his stomach flip in ways he could never physically do.

“Wait, wait,” Jaehyun said, waving his hands in front of Mark and Johnny, who were holding their coffee mugs and looking curiously at Jaehyun. “You are-“

“Mark. My name’s Mark Lee,” the boy – Mark, Jaehyun’s brain needlessly supplied – said, then looked at Johnny. “He’s kind of slow, isn’t he?” Johnny, shit of a cousin, heartily laughed in response.

Before Jaehyun could come up with a witty reply, Ten swerved his way into the scene and placed plates, utensils, and what seemed to be scrambled eggs. Yellow and burnt brown bubbles popping up from the food.

“What is that?” Johnny asked, alarmed.

Ten beamed. “It’s been a while since we had someone who was not from med school or a deadbeat, angsty teenager-“ Jaehyun shot daggers behind Ten’s head “-over. We finally have civilized company.”

Mark poked the eggs with a fork. “It looks alive.”

Ten scoffed. “Stop being a prick and eat your goddamn eggs, Mark.”

“Good thing you’re studying to be a doctor and not a chef,” Mark grumbled, scooping some of the gooey contents onto his plate. Ten lightly slapped the back of his head.

“Sit down, Jaehyun,” Johnny said, gesturing to a seat between him and Ten. “You look stupid.”

Jaehyun directed his glare towards Johnny but did as he was told and sat down. He watched Mark skeptically consuming the eggs, Ten peering closely to make sure he actually ate it.

“So, Mark,” Jaehyun began, the name rolling of his tongue with unexpected hesitance. “You feeling better?”

Mark looked up and Jaehyun was taken aback by the intensity of his gaze. So, it wasn’t just the light of last night that made him look like that, Jaehyun thought. “Yeah, thanks to Ten hyung here.” Mark offered an amicable smile. “And you of course.” Jaehyun swore his heart skipped a beat.

“Why were you, you know, beaten up?” Ten asked, serving himself his weird eggs. “Jaehyun thought here you must be some part of the Russian mafia.” Jaehyun kicked Ten under the table, making the latter howl in faux agony.

Mark cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? Were you making up theories about me?”

“First of all, no,” Jaehyun said, pointedly. “That was Ten’s own imagination running away with him, as per usual, and second,” he belatedly realized he had just been swirling the eggs around his plate. He took a plunge and ate some. It wasn’t as bad as it looked. “You try manning the cashier with a guy all bloodied and bruised coming every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and sometimes Saturday night. Sorry to say, I had a run for my money on that.”

Mark went silent, boring his gaze into Jaehyun’s, the latter willing himself not to look away. At the same time, Jaehyun thought maybe he had offended him somehow. He’s been having trouble lately saying the right thing, being constantly around Ten and Johnny has rid him of his filter he was so good at using.

Instead, Mark said, cheeks going pink but unseen by the others under the bandages and ointments. “You- you memorize my schedule?”

“What?” Jaehyun had registered after a few seconds what he even had said to Mark and bit his tongue, restraining every part of his body to not heat up and go red as it does when he does something completely embarrassing.

Ten and Johnny exchanged a look, the former snickering. “Wow, Jaehyun. You didn’t tell me you were such a stalker.”

“I’m-“ Jaehyun began, but calmed himself and feigned indifference. “Well, it’s true. He comes on those days, only an idiot wouldn’t notice.”

“Uh huh, sure,” Ten grinned. Jaehyun flexed his fingers as to not form into fists and dig his nails onto his skin.

Johnny side smiled at Jaehyun. “As I was saying, I gotta get going. I’ve got lab.” He shot a look at Ten. “And as I recall, you do too? In twenty-five minutes to be precise?”

Ten’s eyes widened. “What?! It was eight just a few minutes ago!”

Johnny rolled his eyes, getting up, bring his plate along with him. “It was eight thirty minutes ago, you idiot.”

Ten jumped out of his seat, piling the remaining eggs on his plate into his mouth, and running to the bathroom. Johnny shook his head and smiled at the two still sitting at the table. “Take your time, Mark,” he said, warmly. “And Jae, could you clean up after Ten? I doubt he even washed the pans. I’ll make it up to you later for that.”

Jaehyun flitted his hand towards Johnny. “No need, hyung. It’s Ten who needs to make it up to me.” The latter chuckled and headed towards his room, shutting the door quietly.

Jaehyun now felt Mark’s presence more than ever, heavy and impassioned. Mark sucked in a breath. “So.”

“So?”

“So,” Mark said, leaning forward, intertwining his bandages fingers with each other. Jaehyun heedlessly stared at them. “What else have you been theorizing about me, Jaehyun?”

He seemed to always say Jaehyun’s name in a different accent, as if he purposely Americanized it for whatever reason. If it was to annoy, it wasn’t working. He wouldn’t ever admit it to anyone, even himself, but it was slightly attractive how he uttered his name. “Sorry?”

Mark smiled ditheringly. “What would you like to know?”

Jaehyun gave it some thought before saying, “Is it your job to get beaten up or something?”

Mark hummed. “Sorry, I can’t reveal the nature of my wounds.”

“You said I can ask anything.” Jaehyun crossed his arms.

“Not that.”

“Okay, uh,” Jaehyun tapped his forefinger on the table. “Why do you always buy that brand of hotdog every time you come round? It tastes like charcoal.”

Mark grinned at that; it was toothy and wide. Jaehyun didn’t expect that from a guy who emitted a _don’t fuck with me_ energy. He felt like he was conversing with a completely different person. “I know, but it’s the only brand that fits my budget.”

“Pfft, as if. The store’s gonna get a new stock of cheaper hotdogs tomorrow night. I’ll point it out to you next time you come.”

Mark was quiet for a moment before answering. “Next time?”

 _Shit_. “Will there be a next time?”

Mark’s grin disappeared, but the ghost of a smile remained. “Let’s see.”

A few ticks of the clock in the kitchen passed before Jaehyun mumbled, “You’re not what I thought you would be.”

Silence again. “What did you think I was?”

“A couple of things,” Jaehyun pondered, jokingly. “A serial killer, a hired assassin that does a bad jobs sixty percent of the time, a really clumsy acrobat.”

Mark laughed, nose scrunching up. “Why isn’t the mafia on your list?”

“You don’t seem like a mafia type guy, unless you are, then I’d rather not mess with any of the Corleone clan.”

“There’s no Italian gangs here in Korea,” Mark snorted.

“How would you know?”

“I just would.”

Afterwards, the two lapsed in a companionable silence. Mark sipped the remainder of his coffee and Jaehyun tapped his finger on the table in rhythm with the ticking of the clock. At one point, Ten and Johnny busted out from their respective rooms (because even if Ten didn’t live there, he had spent so much time in the apartment that he had his skincare laid out on the bathroom sink) and rushed out the door, bidding both boys goodbye. Ten handed Mark a bunch of antibiotics, while Johnny slipped him a card with his and the house’s telephone number in case, he needed any more help. Mark bowed respectfully at them as they left.

Several minutes flew by when Mark said, “I’m not in the mafia, by the way.”

Jaehyun tilted his head at him, confused. “Not a problem for me.”

“Just said so in case you worried,” Mark replied. Before Jaehyun could remark on that, the former cut in. “I should get going.”

Mark offered to wash his dishes, to which Jaehyun refused. He still had a few minutes to spare before heading off to work. Jaehyun walked Mark to the door, which was a few steps really. The latter turned towards Jaehyun. “Thank you, for helping me. Sorry if I was such a burden for you last night.”

“You’re not a burden,” and because Jaehyun cannot stop his tongue from doing stupid things, blurted, “You’re _definitely_ not the guy I thought you would be.”

Mark grinned that toothy, wide grin of his. “Sorry to ruin your expectations of me.”

“No, I-“ I really need to work on my filter again, Jaehyun thought. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”

Mark nodded, amused. “Don’t forget to show me those hotdogs when I come over, okay?”

“Yeah, deal.”

-

Life went on. Johnny being gone for majority of the day and only coming in in the wee hours of the morning, Ten being an annoying little shit, Jaehyun’s jobs giving him a sense of purpose, however little. Everything went as it should. Mark didn’t come on Monday, which worried Jaehyun all the way until Friday, when he did finally show up. Again, without fail, bruises peppered his face, but at least there was no blood. And at least, as Jaehyun pointed out the new hotdogs as he said he would, Mark didn’t frown. However, he still dumped Jaehyun’s counter with coins and kicked the door open. There was an improvement, at least.

Jaehyun figured out, after more meetings with Mark after the incident, that he gave off an unpleasant aura because he got beaten up badly. In a way, who wouldn’t? With the constant pain Mark seemed to put himself through, he must be irritated to say the least about the constant agony that comes with the black and blue.

Even though Jaehyun knew the boy’s name and had helped him, it was going back to the usual routine. Mark still made more of an effort to be nice to Jaehyun, but the latter thought the pain would get to him sometimes and would often grunt in Jaehyun’s attempt of friendliness. The point is, Mark tried, and Jaehyun was glad to take that for now.

-

Jaehyun thought moving to Seoul would decrease the chances of meeting his former schoolmates. He had lived in a relatively small town near the coast, a good two hours or so from there to the bustling capital of Korea. He thought living in the busiest city in the country would practically make him a nobody, comfortable to walk around without anyone familiar spotting him.

Like all his ambitions and plans in his life, that too, failed.

It was a Tuesday morning and Jaehyun was waiting in an American diner-styled restaurant. He didn’t wear roller skates, as the other waiters did, the past few weeks because he was afraid of accidentally bumping into someone again and creating a big mess. His co-workers smiled pityingly when he told his reason.

As he was serving one of the restaurant’s regulars, an old woman with a tote bag full of groceries, a musical, bubbly voice startled him out of focus.

“J-Jaehyun? Jung Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun turned to see an extremely fashionable young man sitting on one of the seats of the diner counter. He placed his shades on his wavy brown-dyed head, wearing a white, collared shirt tucked in skinny ripped jeans, draped over with an oversized beige coat. He had a bit of glitter on his hooded eyes and plump lips open in shock. He was extremely pretty and Jaehyun couldn’t believe he didn’t notice him when he had entered the restaurant. He had always been noticeable, even when he was skinny and had mousy black hair back in high school.

“Donghyuck,” Jaehyun breathed.

The boy beamed, clearly glad Jaehyun remembered him. “Hi hyung! It’s so nice to see you.”

Donghyuck had always been a genuinely cheerful guy, which is why people liked him. If people had liked Jaehyun because he had mysterious, but respectful, reserve about him, everyone liked Donghyuck because he was crazy open about everything.

Donghyuck patted at the seat next to him. “I’m sure your boss won’t mind for a couple of minutes.”

Jaehyun came over and sat down, aware of his other co-workers and a few of the younger customers staring at Donghyuck. “Hey, Donghyuck, how are you?”

He grinned perfect pearly whites. “I’m good. How about you?”

“Oh, you know,” Jaehyun said, gesturing to the kitchen. “This and that.”

Donghyuck nodded. “I see. I’m glad to know you’re doing well.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!” Donghyuck exclaimed. “When I learnt from the other hyungs that you didn’t even apply for a university, I was really worried. I, uh, you may not like it, I know you’re the type of guy who hates people invading your personal space, but I called your house to check up on you.”

Jaehyun, letting go for a moment, raised his eyebrows in surprise. “How’d you get my number?”

“The phone book directory,” Donghyuck said, circling the rim of his coffee cup. “The seniors were beings dicks and wouldn’t tell me. So, I called up, but someone told me you didn’t live there anymore.”

Jaehyun had it coming, but he still felt his heart sink. “Who answered?”

“It was a woman. I think your mom? I don’t know if you ever mentioned siblings.”

“I don’t,” Jaehyun said, hesitantly.

Donghyuck nodded. “I see. Sorry, was that wrong of me to do? I know we aren’t close or anything, but…”

Jaehyun felt guilty at that. Donghyuck was an underclassman by three years and because of Jaehyun’s busy schedules, he never made an effort to talk to him. Donghyuck was extremely active in their theatre org, always being the lead or part of the main cast during productions. They were cordial with each other, and Jaehyun now wished he had gotten to know him more. Donghyuck had always been kind.

Jaehyun shook his head. “Not a problem, Donghyuck. Thank you for checking up on me, it really means a lot.”

Donghyuck dramatically sighed. “Phew, I thought you would really chew me out on that.”

“Of course not,” Jaehyun chuckled. “It’s nice talking to you, but I have to get back to work. I feel the manager’s eyes sending laser beams into my skull.”

Donghyuck laughed. “Of course, but hey, we should meet up soon. Whenever you’re free?”

Jaehyun mirrored Donghyuck’s smile. “Sure, why not.”

-

Just like that, Donghyuck had pulled Jaehyun into the colorful and insane night life that was Seoul.

When Jaehyun wasn’t working late shifts (and not staring after Mark, with his sharp features and a wide smile that didn’t come often, always catching him off-guard when it did), Donghyuck dragged him to all kinds of bars and restaurants.

Donghyuck was an art major, specializing in drama (no surprise there, Jaehyun thought) and knew where the new, trendy places were. It didn’t matter that Jaehyun was dirt poor, Donghyuck was generous with him. He even introduced him to his other friends, all as attractive and as glamorous as Donghyuck himself. Jaehyun sometimes felt he should dress up more when he went out with him, but would soon forget his insecurities when Donghyuck ensues a banter session with his friends, egging Jaehyun to always take his side as a means to help him join in on the conversation. Jaehyun greatly appreciated Donghyuck’s efforts.

One day, Jaehyun received a loud _ping!_ from his phone while he was scrubbing the bathroom floor. He already knew who it was, judging from the erratic texting schedules of the sender.

From: Lee Donghyuck

To: Jung Jaehyun

Message: _HI HYUUUUNG! YOU DOING ANYTHING TONIGHT??_ (◕‿◕)♡

Jaehyun snorted. He typed back.

From: Jung Jaehyun

To: Lee Donghyuck

Message: _Yeah I have a shift tonight_

From: Lee Donghyuck

To: Jung Jaehyun

Message: _EWIEEEEE!_ ヾ( ￣O￣)ツ _no hyung u r coming with me tonight, it’s the coolest gig ever_

Jaehyun sighed, dropping the rag and sitting down, leaning against the freshly polished toilet bowl.

From: Jung Jaehyun

To: Lee Donghyuck

Message: _What part of ‘I have a shift tonight’ do you not understand?_

From: Lee Donghyuck

To: Jung Jaehyun

Message: _MEH!_ (ノ°益°)ノ _EXCHANGE WITH SOMEONE ELSE SWEAR HYUNG THIS IS ONE EVENT U DONT WANNA MISS_

From: Jung Jaehyun

To: Lee Donghyuck

Message: _You said that about that strip club karaoke bar_

From: Lee Donghyuck

To: Jung Jaehyun

Message: _yeah my bad that kinda sucked, blame jisung for that ok_

Jaehyun got another chime before he could reply.

From: Lee Donghyuck

To: Jung Jaehyun

Message: _come on, swear hyung dis is rly cool u gotta go. it’s dis event no ones allowed to talk about but I have a friend who works there and he got us a pass! how cool is that amirite???_

From: Jung Jaehyun

To: Lee Donghyuck

Message: _That sounds extremely suspicious_

From: Lee Donghyuck

To: Jung Jaehyun

Message: _IT’S NOOOOT_ ❤ (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc) _swear i will have jeno protect you if someone even tries to touch your pretty head_

Jaehyun snorted. It was a Wednesday today, meaning Mark would barge in in the ungodly hours of the night, chat with Jaehyun for a few minutes, and leave by slightly damaging the door as he had always done. Ten commented one night that his “obsession” for Mark was becoming detrimental, and when Jaehyun protested, Ten deadpanned “Jaehyun, you’ve been counting the days when Mark comes, and even more when he doesn’t. I can specifically enumerate the amount of times when Mark has smiled at you because you won’t _shut up_ about it! He’s cute, I get it, but as a potential doctor, it’s not healthy to be spending your time on someone who only talks to you for a few minutes in the course of the twenty-four hours you, by the way, still have a life in.”

That pissed Jaehyun off a bit, but mostly because it was true. He wasn’t obsessing, but he wasn’t exactly spending his time wisely by thinking of the boy with the eternal bruises and big smiles.

Jaehyun bit his lip, tapping his phone against his knee. He sighed again and unlocked his phone to type.

From: Jung Jaehyun

To: Lee Donghyuck

Message: _I can’t guarantee I’ll get someone to exchange my shift with me, but where and what time?_

Mark can wait.

-

It was freezing that night. Jaehyun wore his thickest knit jumper and joggers under a long-padded coat. He tucked in his ears with a beanie to protect them from the cold. He ran up to Donghyuck and his friend Jeno at the subway station entrance.

“Fuck, it’s cold,” Jaehyun bit out. Donghyuck huffed a laugh, mist escaping from his lips.

Jeno, who was equally covered as Jaehyun, albeit in more obvious high street fashion brands, groaned. “I know! Hyuck, this better be worth it. I could have been eating in a barbeque place by now, where it’s _warm_ and my balls aren’t potentially going to snap off.”

“Quit your bitching,” Donghyuck hissed, exasperatedly.

“Are we waiting for Jisung?” Jaehyun asked, another friend of Donghyuck’s who was always with them whenever Jaehyun went out with him.

Jeno shook his head as they all proceeded to go downstairs and dodge the counterflow of passengers exiting the train station. “Nah, apparently emergency band practice?”

“He’ll catch up, I texted him the address,” Donghyuck said, waving his phone.

After the train ride and dropping off their station, Donghyuck led them out to a deserted area, people suspiciously peering at them and a siren going off somewhere not too far. Jeno and Jaehyun exchanged a dubious look, but chose not to say anything as Donghyuck droned on about a crisis the drama faculty in his university was facing. They ended up in front of a bar with huge neon lights blinking above written _Lou’s Tavern._ Many of the street lights weren’t working, so the only light that illuminated the area was the bar, whose light expanded throughout the large parking lot in front. It seemed the only thing that existed in this darkness was _Lou’s Tavern_.

Donghyuck pushed open what looked like those padded doors one had in the cinema, and the boys were immediately greeted with the scent of tobacco, alcohol, and sweat. Unlike its exterior, the inside was dimly lit. There was a pool table in the far corner, many tables surrounding it, but already occupied. Jaehyun didn’t expect the crowd in this bar and scanned the place to look for a seat for the three of them. A jukebox in another corner was playing old tunes Jaehyun vaguely remembers his parents listening to on the radio whenever they went on road trips. The last time they drove out together as a family was when he was ten; Jaehyun’s gut twisted at the memory.

“Hyuck!” Jeno called to get Donghyuck’s attention. He must be a regular for he was greeted by a couple of people as soon as he entered. When Donghyuck hugged the last person who went up to him, he turned to Jaehyun and Jeno, leading them away by the small of their backs.

“No, no, not here,” Donghyuck cooed, walking towards another door Jaehyun thought was the entrance to the kitchen. When Donghyuck opened it to reveal stairs, a more pungent stench of sweat accompanied the sound of more boisterous laughter. Donghyuck went down, followed by Jaehyun and an already very alarmed Jeno.

“Isolated bars with basements is never a good thing,” Jeno whispered to Jaehyun, and the latter tried his best to hide his smile.

The set-up below was much different, however. It looked almost similar to a boxing arena, but instead of the boxing platform being elevated, it was just sectioned off with measly rope. The people there looked as if they just got off work, as they were mostly dressed in office attire. Jaehyun noticed majority of the occupants were men with a ghost of a busted lip or a swollen eye, and felt a shiver crawl up his spine as it was a look someone he knew wore proudly on his own face.

“What the heck is this, Hyuck?” Jeno asked, tugging Donghyuck’s sleeve. Before he could respond, a woman with sharp eyes and burgundy lipstick made her way to Donghyuck. The latter cheerfully greeted her and they kissed each other cheek-to-cheek.

“Guys!” Donghyuck said, cheerfully. “This is Seulgi. Seulgi, these are my guests.”

“I thought you invited three?” Seulgi said, hand on hip.

“Ah, he had a prior engagement, but he knows the way. He was the guy I brought the first time.”

Seulgi smiled, looking a bit less intimidating. “Oh yeah, he’s a cutie pie.” Then she looked at Jaehyun and Jeno. “Wow, Donghyuck, are all your friends this attractive?”

Jeno sputtered at the compliment and attempted to hide his blush behind his hand. Jaehyun, used to being given compliments, bowed his head in thanks.

Donghyuck laughed, roughly patting Jeno’s back. “Not as good-looking as me though, right?”

Seulgi rolled her eyes. “If you keep bringing in guys like these, I don’t think you’ll stand a chance.” She leaned in for Donghyuck’s ears only. “Especially that guy,“ jutting her chin towards Jaehyun.

Donghyuck hummed. “There, I can’t disagree.”

Someone carrying a tray offered them beer and Jaehyun was grateful to have a little alcohol in his system because he’s been having a rough week. He had a lot of things on his mind, specifically about a certain boy he refused to acknowledge that he has been filling up his brain about-

“So, how’s our Fully Capable Lion?” Donghyuck asked Seulgi.

“Fully capable what?” Jeno said.

Donghyuck smiled, amused. “The friend who got us in here.”

“But, ‘fully capable’…?”

“That’s his nickname,” Seulgi explained, swinging around her beer bottle as she talked. Jaehyun and Jeno leaned away a bit to avoid being swatted. “We’re not allowed to disclose their real names, not while they work here.”

“What are you? A drug base?” Jeno joked, to which Donghyuck and Seulgi answered with mysterious smiles. Jaehyun was getting whiplash how much this place and the people here reminded him of that certain someone. It was giving him the creeps.

“Oh, it’s much better than that,” Donghyuck said, eyes crinkling at the sight of Jeno’s face morphing into slight distress. “Wait and see, my dude.”

Seulgi, then, excused herself as she had to “prepare the event” and left the three boys. Donghyuck received a text from Jisung saying he can’t make it because he was put on cleaning duty after filling a member’s tuba with frog eggs. Donghyuck and Jaehyun laughed, while Jeno incredulously wondered aloud how on earth he got frog eggs in freaking Seoul.

Then suddenly, a voice boomed into the idle chatter of the place. Seulgi stood in the middle of what was their “boxing arena.” She was now wearing a leather jacket and skirt, with fishnets and black, knee-length boots. Despite majority of the people surrounding her being much taller, she exuded a confidence that demanded her authority to be regarded. Jaehyun was in awe of her presence.

“Okay, you turds,” she said, loudly for everyone to hear. “I see new, uninvited faces here so I know you haven’t been following the rules. Or literally the _only_ rule. Do I have to repeat myself again, you retarded fucks?”

The crudity and volume of her voice had stunned everyone into silence, only Donghyuck was gleefully giggling at Seulgi’s insult.

She sighed, exasperated. “Okay, this will be the last _fucking_ time, or I will ask one of the fuckers at the back to deal with you. _Capische_?”

Jaehyun didn’t know what she meant by “fuckers at the back,” but the rest of the people did, because they shuffled on their feet and murmured uneasily to each other.

Seulgi nodded, pleased that the message got across. “Right then.” She clapped her hands together, rubbing them, then placing them on her hips. She glared across everyone, as if trying to make eye contact with every single person in the room, committing each face to memory. Jaehyun could hear Jeno gulp beside him.

“First rule of Fight Club,” Seulgi began, gesturing a number one with her finger. “You do _not_ talk about Fight Club.” She formed a number two. “Second rule of Fight Club, you do not. Talk. About Fight Club. Got it?”

No one answered, but Seulgi took that as a yes and nodded again. “Alright, we’ve got our regulars for tonight. If anyone wants to take a go at them, do as you like, just one at a time people. And I don’t think I have to keep reminding you about drawing first blood, right?”

Immediately, the anxiety that Seulgi had created quickly dissipated and sparked up excited chatter amongst the crowd. Jaehyun was getting an odd feeling about this. He wanted to rush up the stairs, get on a train, and go back to the apartment. At the same time, his curiosity was getting the better of him and was strangely compelled by this event the moment Seulgi uttered the rules.

“First up, we’ve got our Leader!” Seulgi announced, and a fit, shirtless man with big eyes and dyed peach hair came up in the ring. His knuckles were heavily bandaged. The crowd cheered at his arrival as the man shyly waved at the audience.

“Oh my god, he’s here!” Donghyuck squeaked. “Wow, you’re in for a treat guys, he’s been out for a while from his last fight.”

“Uh, who?” Jeno asked, tippy-toeing to get a good view of the contender that stepped up.

“The Leader. His name’s Taeyong,” Donghyuck whispered. “He’s the one who set up this whole thing, but he had a bad fight and was hospitalized for a couple of months. He just got released a week ago, I didn’t think he’d be back in so soon.”

One of the men in suits came up to the ring. Taeyong nodded and Seulgi stepped away. Both men took fighting stances and waited on whoever struck first.

Taeyong pounced at the guy and the chaos ensued.

As they were going at it, the crowd shouted in elation. When the man in the suit pummeled Taeyong’s stomach, the audience booed. When Taeyong retaliated with a kick to the chest, the crowd cheered. And so on and so forth. Finally, when Taeyong managed to hit the man’s cheek, blood and, if Jaehyun’s not mistaken, a tooth spurting out, Seulgi went it and held Taeyong’s hand up. The crowd screamed in delight. The man in the suit got up and both he and Taeyong bowed to each other and shook hands.

Jaehyun was never fond of fist fights, whether it was held in professional boxing rings or behind the school yard. But seeing this fight brought on a sort of morbid fascination he never knew had in him. The sight of two, grown men beat the bloody pulp out of each other gave him a thrill, the kind that made him feel as if he was seeing something he wasn’t supposed to. He felt the blood rush up in his body, giving him adrenaline as though he was going to fight himself.

Donghyuck glanced beside him and saw a twinkle in his eye he sees every time a newcomer witnesses their first fight, and the same time, was quite taken aback with. For the years that he had known Jaehyun (which was barely, but what he saw from afar), he wasn’t facially expressive, or at least disciplined himself not to be. The most emotion Donghyuck ever saw of him their theatre moderator back in high school screamed at Jaehyun for being “an incompetent waste of space” and that he should just “get the fuck out of here if he wasn’t putting his heart and soul into this project.” Donghyuck knew the moderator was going out of line, because for fuck’s sakes it was just a high school activity, not a Tony awards level performance. He wanted to step up and say something, but at that moment, a flash of anger appeared on Jaehyun’s face and it froze Donghyuck into place. However, resignation colored Jaehyun’s face and the intense emotion Donghyuck witnessed left as soon as it came. The former bowed in apology and left the stage room without another word. That was the last time Donghyuck had seen him in a very long while.

So seeing Jaehyun pumped over something that made every single one of these people in room scream and shout over, made Donghyuck relieved that this event can even make Jaehyun _feel_.

Although, while Jaehyun was less obvious in showing his excitement, Jeno had no shame in displaying it. When Taeyong landed his first punch into the man’s ribs, Jeno cheered with the crowd. As the fight ended, he chanted with the crowd a thundering “MORE, MORE, MORE!”

Donghyuck nudged Jaehyun, jutting his chin towards Jeno. “This guy’s enjoying himself too much.” Jaehyun shifted his gaze towards their companion and bit his lip, struggling not to smile.

Donghyuck laughed, then reached over to Jeno, violently poking his shoulder. “Oi! Calm down, man. There’s gonna be plenty more from where that came from!”

Jeno, abashed by being called out, but delighted by what Donghyuck told him, grinned and continued chanting.

More fights had ensued in the ring. Jaehyun couldn’t pinpoint why he was enjoying two people beating each other up. It was strange to say, but the closest thought he could capture was it brought all these people a sense of freedom in the restrictions of daily life. To wake up, eat, work, sleep, repeat. To these people, normal lives must be dull, even unbearable. For Jaehyun, this fight demolished all his worries about what his parents wanted him to be, what his peers wanted him to be, what _he_ wanted to be. Because right now, all he wanted swim in a sea with these people, venting all their frustrations and despairs with life into every fist and kick they can throw.

He didn’t know how long it had been, it could have been minutes, hours, even days. Time seemed to stop as the stench of blood and sweat increased. After one of the fights ended with an angular-faced guy wearing a long Metallica shirt (“Brian,” Donghyuck supplied. “YoungK is his stage name, for both here and concerts.” “Concerts?” Jaehyun asked. “Yeah,” Donghyuck replied, reveling at Brian’s body proportions. “He goes to my school. We don’t talk though.”) repeatedly pummeling another guy’s face, Seulgi had to intervene and drag him away from his opponent. Afterwards, she came back and huffed. “Come on guys, first blood remember? Why do I have to keep reminding you testosterones.”

A few of the audience members laughed, most of them women. Seulgi smiled. “Before we end, we’ve got our very usual Lion here. He’s just a bit late because, well, he just always is.”

Here, the audience screamed fervently, even louder than when Taeyong had arrived. Then, the audience started stomping their feet, whilst shouting “LION, LION, LION.”

Seulgi tried to silence them, but to no avail. She groaned then put her thumb and middle finger into her mouth, and whistled an extremely piercing whistle that silenced the audience, making some hold their palms to their ears.

Seulgi blew the bangs out of her face. “As I was saying, ladies and gentlemen. I give you, our Fully Capable Lioooooooon!”

The audience resumed their cheers and stomping. Jeno raised an eyebrow to Donghyuck. “You keep mentioning this dude all night, who is this guy?”

Donghyuck, who had been laid-back this entire event, was now standing straight and twinkly-eyed. “Oh you’ll see.”

The sound of the basement door upstairs flung open and a pair of black sneakers came into view. The crowd screamed even louder as the next fighter approached. Jaehyun couldn’t get a proper view of who this well-acclaimed fighter was from all the people rushing to meet the guy and the arms waving in the air.

Donghyuck shook his head in dismay, grabbing Jeno’s and Jaehyun’s wrist. “Christ, it’s always like this when he comes. Fucking late on purpose. Come on! Let’s get to the front for a better view.”

The three weaved their way through the tightly-knit crowd, until they were somewhat in front, the people in front of them too enclosed and sturdy to push through. At least Jaehyun had a better view. The freshly arrived guy had his back to the audience, chatting a bit with Seulgi, Taeyong, who was nursing a busted lips from one of the fights with an icepack, and one of the other fighters who had dyed-electric blue hair. The new contender must have said something funny, because the other three laughed animatedly and slapped his shoulder.

“Dude, this guy’s a legend,” Donghyuck said, reverently.

“Why? This guy never loses?” Jeno asked.

Donghyuck scoffed, rolling his eyes. “No, ha! He loses a lot. Not regularly, but more than any of the other regular fighters here.”

“What? Doesn’t that make him bad?”

Donghyuck’s eyes glinted. “I’m telling you man, you’ll see.”

Jaehyun was, at this point, willing to openly admit how amazing this entire experience was. He can’t describe why, but being with a group of people who willingly volunteer to get beaten up and who shamelessly yell to whoever, whether winner or loser, gave Jaehyun a strange sense of peace. That he was not alone. That life _is_ a bitch and this was people’s way to say _yeah it is so fuck you and the system_. He was going to thank Donghyuck for bringing him here when the new fighter turned around, huge brown eyes and smile so wide that even the bystanders at the end of the room can see his grin.

Jaehyun went cold.

By now, he could recognize the bruises on the guy’s face anywhere, can draw its patterns if asked. The cheekbones for days. The brown eyes he felt nervous under its gaze. And the smile.

Oh god, the _smile_.

Then it all suddenly made sense. The weirdly scheduled nights when he came to the convenience store with newly inflicted wounds, his secrecy of its nature, his rough attitude.

Of course. _Of course._

Mark Lee was a regular of the Fight Club.

Jeno stared dumbly at Mark, mouth agape. “Wow.”

Donghyuck smirked as he pushed Jeno’s chin up, shutting his mouth. “I know, _wow_.”

Jaehyun couldn’t describe it any better. When Jaehyun did see Mark, he was all worn down and moody. He didn’t care on how he looked, just slouched, coming and going with black and blue marks on his face and blood on his shirt.

But here, in the ring with the people chanting his stage name and the smell of blood and sweat ever so thick, Mark practically _glowed_. His hair (now dyed fully black, Jaehyun noted) was wavy in the front, an elastic band on his forehead to keep his bangs out of the way. He wore a navy blue shirt that hugged his torso in _just_ the right way. He wore a black denim jacket on top and a gray pair of sweatpants. This was the most clearly Jaehyun has ever seen Mark, with his bruises slightly faded, he can make out the face of boy who looks as if he was happy lining up for a rollercoaster ride instead of a fist fight.

Mark looked _good_ , and Jaehyun had to fight every urge within him to not open his mouth in awe as Jeno had.

Mark held a finger up, hushing the entire room. “Alright,” Mark said, voice low and raspy, constricting Jaehyun’s throat because he hadn’t thought Mark was capable of talking in such a deep voice. “Who wants in?”

Immediately, a dozen men shouted to get Mark’s attention. Mark bore his gaze into them until he locked eyes with one of them. He turned to Seulgi, who was standing by in the corner, and jerked his head to one of the men in the audience. Seulgi went closer to the man and jutted her thumb, gesturing him to get in the ring quickly. The man scrambled onto the boxing ring and put on a stance. Mark removed his jacket, threw it on the floor, cracked his neck left and right, and mirrored the stance.

The fight begun and Jaehyun could see what the fuss was all about.

Where Taeyong fought briefly and with precision, Mark fought with a calm swagger that left his opponent trying to catch up. He was also strict with his attacks, but when it came to his defense, he dodged fluidly, moving his body out of target with controlled ease that made his opponent stumble. When the man was still comprehending what had happened, Mark moved swiftly in for the kill. He grabbed the man’s head and smashed it against the ground, the sound of pain echoing the walls, but quickly drowned by the cheers of the people. There was blood slithering on the floor.

“Oh my god, is he okay?” a woman beside the three asked. A guy, her companion most likely, chuckled. “Of course, he didn’t kill him if that’s what you’re thinking.” Jaehyun sure hoped not.

Two girls went into the ring and dragged the guy out of view, while Mark came in front, mirth sparkling in his eyes. “Okaaaay,” drawling out the ‘a.’ “Who’s next?”

Jaehyun noticed what made Mark such a favorite. He didn’t just fight, he _danced_ , if that was even possible. When he evaded his opponent, he drifted away from the person’s attacks. When it came to striking back, he became cold and wasted no time in delivering the final blow. He went in and struck at the most delicate places of the human body: the eyes, the nose, the throat, somewhere in the stomach, and the groin.

However, in one of the fights, when Mark’s opponent immediately lost after his nose bled from the hit, he didn’t take it too kindly. As Mark was already turning his back to speak to one of the girls who dragged the first man’s body away, the guy stalked towards Mark and was about attack him. Jaehyun didn’t know why nobody else was calling on whatever this guy was patently about to do. Maybe because he’s the only one who was watching Mark this intently, because he screamed:

“MARK, LOOK OUT!”

Mark turned and at that moment, everything froze. Jaehyun thought it only happened in the movies, when you can really feel time slow down and just see everything so clearly. All Mark and Jaehyun saw was each other. Mark’s eyes widened in recognition, making him look like how he had when he pleaded to Jaehyun not to bring him to the hospital. When Mark teased him during breakfast. When he showed Mark the new hotdogs brought in by the store.

Jaehyun felt time stopping him from getting to Mark in time as he got violently punched in the face, blood gushing out of his mouth and nose as if in slow motion.

The audience gasped in surprise as the guy continued to hit Mark on the face. Jaehyun violently shoved the bystanders away and entered the ring. He saw Taeyong and Seulgi trying to get this guy off of Mark, but he was just too bulky and enraged to be moved. Jaehyun, without thinking, without realizing the consequences of his actions, pushed the guy to the floor and jumped on him. Giving the same treatment as the man did Mark, punching the bloody hell out of his face beyond recognition. He wouldn’t have stopped until someone harshly pulled him away, he turned and slapped the face of whoever tried to stop him. Donghyuck’s face waved into shock, making Jaehyun stop completely and registering what happened. He felt his palm burn fire. He looked down at the guy he had beat up, at Mark, then at Donghyuck.

“Oh god,” Jaehyun breathed. “Oh fuck, I’m sorry.” Jaehyun then knelt beside Mark, lightly grabbing his shoulders, shaking him a bit. “Fuck, Mark. Fucking hell.” He had felt numb from the moment he saw Mark punched, until he accidentally slapped Donghyuck. He could feel the adrenaline surge through his veins as he looked down Mark’s face, streaming with blood but eyes wide.

In fear.

… what?

“Oh god, did he say Mark?” Someone murmured.

“Donghyuck,” another person whispered harshly. Seulgi. “You didn’t tell me he knew _him_.”

“I- I didn’t know,” Donghyuck replied, quietly.

“Fuck sake’s, bring them out of here!” Someone hissed. “Do you know who just fucking beat up?”

A hand gripped Jaehyun shoulder. “Jaehyun,” Donghyuck said, voice low. “We should go. Now.” Then towards to another direction. “Jeno, help get him up.” Donghyuck lightly pushed Jaehyun away so he and Jeno could carry Mark by the arm. The dragged him up the stairs and Jaehyun followed. He finally noticed how deathly quiet the room had become, each pair of eyes penetrating his skull. For the first time after he had come into rink and save Mark, he wondered if what he did was a good idea.

The four boys exited the bar, the biting cold air smacked them on the face. A refreshing change from the humidity and closeness of the basement, but they couldn’t fully appreciate the air as Donghyuck told them that it was essential that they get away from that place as soon as possible. Both Jeno and Jaehyun didn’t understand the urgency, but the agitation in Donghyuck’s eyes was enough to keep going without asking questions. When they got to the subway station entrance, which was still thankfully open, Donghyuck and Jeno struggled to get Mark downstairs. Jaehyun took over and placed Mark on his back. He could feel Mark’s uneven breaths on his neck as they ran to catch the next train. There were only few people on the train they were riding in, but Jaehyun didn’t feel comfortable setting Mark down on the seat, and so continued to carry him on his back. For good measure, Donghyuck took off Jaehyun’s beanie and placed it on Mark, as to not attract further attention to themselves. His grip around Jaehyun’s neck tightened, as if trying to fight the ache of his new inflictions. Jaehyun chose to bear the pain of possible strangulation and not say anything about it.

When they arrived at their destination, the four filed out of the train in silence and walked at a fast pace out the station. Once outside again, Donghyuck looked around and pointed some direction. They followed him, each of them grateful that this part of Seoul was well-lit and crowded, even at this time, compared to the wasteland that they were in. Somewhere off the main road was a branch of the convenience store Jaehyun worked for, but not the specific one he actually was cashier in. They went in, nodding slightly at the attendant in greeting. Jaehyun settled Mark into one of the plastic seats at the tables by the window. The former brushed the hair peaking out of his beanie on Mark’s forehead, which was grimy from dried blood and dirt. Mark wouldn’t look him in the eye, as if ashamed. Donghyuck and Jeno then sat down in front of them, drinks already in hand.

Donghyuck gave Mark an energy drink. Mark weakly grabbed it, popped the cap open, and drank it feverishly. Once Mark finished the entire bottle, he threw the bottle on the floor. It clattered noisily against the store’s tiles. A pop tune faintly hummed in the background.

“Why the _fuck_ ,” Mark growled, every word biting. Jeno flinched at Mark’s tone, but Donghyuck, who seemed used to it, met head on. “Did you bring him?”

Donghyuck frowned. “I didn’t think you’d know each other.”

“You said it was you, Jeno, and Jisung.”

“And I said I was bringing an extra guest,” Donghyuck replied, calmly. Jaehyun had to hand it to Donghyuck for handling an angry Mark. Whenever he was around him, in whatever mood, he was a complete mess.

Mark glared at him for a few beats, then slumped back on his chair. “ _Fuck._ ”

“I know,” Donghyuck said, sympathetically. “I’m sorry, if I had known-“

“Well you should have told me his name for God’s sakes!” Mark was now yelling. The shop attendant by the counter looked over and shot them a look.

Donghyuck narrowed his eyes. Jaehyun noticed that Donghyuck was wearing dark eyeshadow. He hadn’t properly seen amidst the dim lighting and the rush of incidents that had occurred. The make-up on his eyes somehow made him look equally threatening as Mark. “ _Fuck you_ , Mark. You didn’t ask for a name. And how was I supposed to know you two would happen to meet?”

Mark was quite for a few seconds, until he muttered, “I need a smoke.”

Donghyuck stared at him for a beat, then sighed. He put his hand into the inner coat of his pocket and produced a packet of cigarettes. He threw it Mark and the latter caught it, taking one out, and biting a roll between his lips.

Jeno stared at Donghyuck, surprised. “I didn’t know you smoked.”

Donghyuck snorted. “I don’t.” This time, he reached into the back pocket of his pants, taking out a lighter. Mark leaned forward, placing the cigarette by the lighter. Donghyuck flicked it open and Mark puffed out a bit of smoke. “But he does.”

Jaehyun was about to ask how exactly Donghyuck and Mark know each other, well enough that Donghyuck carries Mark’s cigarettes, when the former beat him to it by demanding: “Jaehyun hyung, how exactly do you know each other? I wouldn’t think you’d meet someone like _him_ willingly.”

Mark scoffed, a puff of tobacco smoke floating from his mouth. “Excuse me, but what is _that_ supposed to mean?”

Donghyuck ignored him and stared inquisitively at Jaehyun. He was genuinely curious and extremely concerned. Jaehyun didn’t see the second emotion as he was too distracted with Mark’s presence beside him, leaning a bit to his shoulder.

“I, uh,” Jaehyun said, hesitant. “Well, he’s my regular customer.”

A small smile formed on Mark’s lips. Jeno raised an eyebrow. “What? How?”

Mark inhaled from his cigarette, so when he spoke, puffs of smoke came along with each word. “He introduced me to a new brand of hotdog.” He glanced at Jaehyun, eyes glinting mischievously. “I still stand, the other one’s kinda better though.”

Affronted, Jaehyun almost forgot about the situation he was in and was ready to argue when the cashier lady said loudly, “Uhm, excuse me sir? You’re not allowed to smoke here.”

Donghyuck turned around and showcased a sickly, saccharine smile. “Come one miss, you can clearly see my friend’s stressed. Cut him a break this one time, please?”

“You can smoke outside, sir,” the attendant plainly said.

Without another word, Donghyuck got up and strutted towards the counter. He leaned in close and whispered something in the woman’s ear. Her eyes widened in fright and didn’t say anything more. Donghyuck thanked the cashier lady and walked back to the table, leaning back into his chair and crossing his legs as if he was sitting on a comfortable armchair.

“Hotdog?” Jeno continued the inquiry, both him and Jaehyun choosing to ignore what Donghyuck had just done to completely silence the shop attendant.

“I work irregular jobs, remember? I also work as a cashier guy for a convenience store and, well, Mark kept coming over.” Jaehyun didn’t know whether he should detail the actual happenstance that got him and Mark to exchanging more words than the price of the food purchased. Mark wasn’t offering to explain either, so they both kept shut on that one.

However, that seemed enough for Donghyuck, because he hummed. “Didn’t think you had time to hunt pretty boys, Mark.”

Mark suddenly coughed violently. Jaehyun was about to pat his back to soothe him, when Mark held out a hand as if to say _no need._ “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Hmm, but you didn’t deny Jaehyun was pretty,” Donghyuck said, amused. Stunned at the turn of the conversation, Jaehyun looked down on his sweaty palms.

“How do you know each other?” Mark asked instead, crossing his arms.

“He was my senior back in high school,” Donghyuck said. The conversation fell into silence. The faint rhythm of the store’s radio and the vibration of the refrigerators were the only noises that interrupted the quiet. After a while, Mark took one last drag and threw it on the floor, stomping the butt with his foot. “Okay, I’m heading out.”

“What? Wait a damn minute,” Jaehyun said, grabbing Mark’s wrist. Mark looked at Jaehyun, then down at his wrist. Jaehyun realized he had held him without permission and let go.

“I need to go, Jaehyun,” Mark said, quietly. The _Jaehyun_ was accented again.

“Can you all tell me what happened back there first?” Jaehyun said. “I feel like I’m missing something. Had I done something wrong for saving you back there? I mean, the guy was _punching_ the death out of you and no one was really stopping him!”

Donghyuck and Mark exchanged a look. Donghyuck sighed. “It’s best you don’t know, hyung.”

Irritation bubbled up in Jaehyun’s throat. “Why the hell not?”

“I admit, fully, that it was my mistake to bring you there,” Donghyuck said. “It would have been okay if all you knew was me and Jeno. But you knew Mark. You _said_ his name and everyone heard it.” Donghyuck clasped his hands and placed it in front of him on the table. “People aren’t supposed to know who you are, especially the people you fight with.”

“But you do? You would tell me their names!”

Donghyuck smiled. “Yeah, well, that was before I knew you knew Mark.”

Jaehyun turned to Mark, who was still bloody-faced and piercing brown eyes, and said: “Who are you?”

Mark grimaced. “Someone who you shouldn’t have seen tonight.” His gaze softened. “Jaehyun, I’ve got to go. I’ve got to fix what had happened.”

A pang of guilt smacked Jaehyun’s gut. “I-I’m sorry.”

Mark breathed a short laugh, or what sounded like one. “No, don’t be. I was quite flattered actually. It’s not every day an attractive guy swoops in and saves you from distress.”

Jaehyun blinked. “Huh?”

At this, Mark scoffed. “I don’t need to repeat what I said, I’m pretty sure you heard me.” He tilted his head and smiled again. He really did look better when he smiled, even if was marked with cuts. “I’ll go, okay? Don’t worry, Jaehyun. I’m a big boy, as you could probably tell.” With that, he nodded a good-bye to Donghyuck and Jeno, and sauntered out of the convenience store.

When Mark disappeared from view, Jaehyun directed his gaze back to Donghyuck and Jeno. The former was giving him a strange look, as if seeing Jaehyun for the first time.

“What?” Jaehyun asked, uncomfortable.

“How old are you again, hyung?” Donghyuck questioned.

“Uh, twenty-three?”

Donghyuck grinned. “Ah, okay. Just checking.”

“What? Why?”

“Oh nothiiiiing,” Donghyuck replied in a sing-song voice.

Jaehyun bit his lip, desiring to inquire about Mark’s background. Why was everyone so hung up on Mark? What had Jaehyun done that was so bad that it made many panic, especially Donghyuck, who was usually happy-go-lucky? More importantly, who was Mark? And why was he involved in this strange organization called “The Fight Club?”

However, Donghyuck had beat him to it. “If I were you, hyung, you would forget about this entire episode and just get on with your lives.”

“What? Why?”

Donghyuck accorded a commiserating look. “Jaehyun, Mark is- he’s a great guy. He’s not an actual bad boy or whatever, he’s an absolute dork actually. But,” Donghyuck exhales a breath through his nose. “He’s involved with… bad people. A lot of bad people. And tonight, you struck one of the biggest baddies out there. You don’t just step in a ring and beat the living daylights out of people like that.”

Jaehyun couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But it looked like he was going to kill Mark, couldn’t you see that?

“He wasn’t, hyung,” Donghyuck said, firmly. “You’re not allowed to kill people in Fight Club. It’s another unspoken rule. Mark wasn’t going to die, and you saw that Seulgi and the rest were trying to stop him. That man was going to stop eventually.”

“The point is,” Donghyuck continued. “To just forget, okay? Please just forget it. That will be the best for all of us, for you and for Mark.”

Jaehyun bit his lip. “Donghyuck?”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry for… slapping you. I didn’t mean it.”

A condoling smile took over his lips. “I know.”

Jaehyun couldn’t say anything else. He felt like a dick for hurting Donghyuck, however unintentional. After the three had finished their drinks (and cleaned up the litter Mark had left on the floor), they parted ways, Jaehyun promising Donghyuck and Jeno he would message them as soon as he arrived back to his apartment. Upon walking home, he wondered if he could really forget about everything that happened today, but Mark’s eyes widening in recognition when Jaehyun called his name and its fear after Jaehyun punched his opponent out of the way, would haunt him as he lay in bed. When Jaehyun did manage to sleep, he dreamt of more blood and the weird pronunciation of his own name echoing into the dark abyss of his mindscape. When Jaehyun woke up, the first thing he remembered was Mark leaving while still wearing _his_ beanie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the mark and jaehyun moments are too few i promise they'll have more moments next chapter hopefully


	3. Chapter 3

Mark sauntered back to _Lou’s Tavern_ , the neon lights illuminating its surroundings, but Mark knew that by this time everyone had gone home. He had always felt once he stepped into the bar’s parking lot, he was isolated from the real world. For once, it didn’t feel as comforting as it had always been.

Mark inhaled sharply through his nose and pushed the doors open. The whole place was dark, save for a singular light over the pool table, where a couple of the Fight Club regulars were playing a game. The first one to notice his entrance was a skinny, electric-blue haired boy with a perpetual flirtatious smile. He went up to Mark and did a quick version of their handshake.

“You’re fucked,” the boy said. Mark snorted.

“Nice to see you too, Jaemin.”

“No, he’s right, you’re fucked.” Seulgi had hit the cue ball, none of the solid balls entering the pockets. Taeyong, who was waiting for his turn, clapped in Seulgi’s defeat and leaned down for his shot.

Mark narrowed his eyes. “He was out of line.”

“He,” Seulgi started, leaning against the billiards table. “Is part of Baek’s gang.”

Mark blinked. “Baek? You mean-“

“Yep,” Jaemin said, popping the ‘p.’ “Let me give the eulogy in your funeral, hyung.”

“Nice to know you’re enjoying yourself,” Mark said, sarcastically. Jaemin shrugged.

“You know what you need to do, Mark,” Seulgi said, sharp eyes observing Mark’s every reaction. The first time he had met her, it had unnerved him. But years of being watched under her gaze hardened Mark into apathy.

“I know.”

Taeyong had lost his round. Jaemin hooted gleefully and strode back to the table, taking up his cue stick and comically wiggling his butt in the air as he positioned himself for his shot. Mark grabbed a seat and sat down, face in hands.

“Why did you bring him?”

“Ask Hyuck.”

Seulgi frowned. “Didn’t Donghyuck tell y-“

“No, he didn’t,” Mark sat up, annoyed. “But-“ he rubbed his face with both his hands and let out a long exhale “-whatever, I’ll just go to Baek and apologize.”

“It’s not going to be as simple as that.”

“Don’t you think _I_ know that? You, of all people, should know,” Mark spat, venomously. It was silent for a few moments, only the sound of the billiard balls hitting each other echoing throughout the empty bar. Seulgi chuckled to herself.

Mark raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Seulgi tried to hide her smile, but her eyes told otherwise. “You have good taste in men, Mark.”

Mark stared at her for a beat, then allowed himself to smile, albeit small. “Don’t you dare-“

“Oh no, I won’t,” Seulgi said, raising her hands up. “He’s all yours, sweetie.”

Mark shook his head. The air-conditioning in the bar had long turned off, so he was beginning to sweat and took off the beanie on his head, belatedly realizing he forgot to give Jaehyun back his beanie. He smiled a little bit wider at the sight.

-

Jaehyun worked himself to deaths with shifts.

All the stressing and nervous jitters about what had happened kept Jaehyun on his toes, but he didn’t want to dwell on it too much. He knew if he let himself be, his thoughts would run wild and devour him in a plague of anxiety.

So Jaehyun made sure to work all the blood, sweat, and tears into his jobs to calm his mind.

However, whenever he saw Donghyuck, a wave of guilt hit him square on the face. Albeit unintentional, he had hurt Donghyuck. Jaehyun was not one for hurting. Sure, he watched a bunch of men beat each other up a couple days ago, but that was different. The context of the fights was different. He was reckless and he hoped the red mark of Jaehyun’s hand on Donghyuck’s cheek didn’t stng as much as his own palm had.

As for Donghyuck, he could see the guilt eating up in Jaehyun. He tried to soothe his worries as much as possible. He genuinely wasn’t mad about it, in fact, Donghyuck found it hard to believe it had even happened. The slap was so fast and sudden, Donghyuck never registered the feeling nor the supposed residual pain. Donghyuck was much too focused on getting out of the bar, rather than what Jaehyun had done. Much worse had happened to Donghyuck; this was nothing.

Donghyuck also knew Jaehyun still thought of Mark. He had no obvious evidence, but just in the way Jaehyun appeared distracted all the time. Donghyuck messaged Jaehyun about other new, trendy places they could go to, but the latter would respectfully decline. A couple of invites later, Donghyuck thought it was best to give Jaehyun some space. He stopped texting after a while.

Mark ceased coming to the convenience store. Jaehyun thought it was just one of those gaps where he would disappear then come back without fail, but the days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned into months. Well, a month and one week. November had arrived and so had the winter chill that always accompanied it.

At first, it had bothered Jaehyun. He felt uneasy about Mark’s vague statement of having to “fix” what happened that night, but Donghyuck didn’t want to talk about it. He had no other way of knowing of Mark’s situation.

And maybe, Donghyuck was right. Just forget about Mark, that would be the best for everyone, Jaehyun especially. All the trouble had started ever since he came in the convenience store. It wasn’t Mark’s fault, but Jaehyun’s dumb luck. Slowly, he was putting more effort into his jobs than thinking of the strange boy with the bruises and erratic personality. He quit his job at the convenience store on the second week of November.

-

With the Christmas season rolling around, many took leave of their jobs to head back to their hometown. Jaehyun would have expected they would stick around longer to earn a bit more cash, but he had underestimated the power of genuinely good relationships with families.

Well, more extra hours for him then.

He took on more tasks than he could handle, and Johnny urged him to drop a few. But working made him forget, and he so very much would like to forget. His overtime in one restaurant earned him a promotion to supervise over the other waiters. The pay was good enough to pay half the monthly rent of the apartment. Jaehyun, for the first time in a while, felt a weight jump off his chest. He had worried he wouldn’t be able to pay Johnny his share, he wasn’t able to for the past two months.

In one of his grocer jobs, as Jaehyun was stacking the ketchup bottles in their respective shelf, his co-worker Yukhei, who had taken an unusual liking to Jaehyun, strode up to him confidently and clapped him hard on the back. Jaehyun almost dropped a bottle. Yukhei had exclaimed far too loudly and enthusiastically that he had found a better paying job and, with a playful glint his eyes, asked if Jaehyun had any experience mixing drinks.

Even though Jaehyun kept repeating to Yukhei that he has no idea how to concoct even a vodka martini, he brushed it off. As Yukhei dragged Jaehyun to their destination, the latter remembered the last time he stepped into a bar was a month ago. Though the bar Yukhei led him to was completely different from Lou’s Tavern. As the two boys passed by a couple of sex shops and would once in a while get stopped a woman on the street, seductively touching Yukhei’s chest and beckoning to follow her, Jaehyun realized the bar was in the red-light district. Whether Jaehyun was blushing from the biting cold or from the realization of his location, was difficult to tell.

The bar was a tall, blindingly neon-lit building. There was a menacing bouncer guarding the front, but as soon as he saw Yukhei, he let them in. Where Lou’s Tavern was subdued and spacious, this was loud and close-knit. It was definitely bigger than any other bar Jaehyun had been to, but the amount of people inside was suffocating. They had to squeeze their way through the bar counter, where a clean-cut man in a bartender outfit was zooming left and right, getting the people their drinks.

Yukhei gestured for them to sit on the only available stools at the counter, telling Jaehyun that they wait for Kun to finish the evening rush before talking to him. Jaehyun’s brain supplied that Kun was probably the bartender, but Yukhei didn’t elaborate. After a while, someone came up to Yukhei and chatted to him. Jaehyun was left alone to study the variety of alcohol behind the counter.

Thirty minutes or so had passed when the chaos by the counter had died down significantly and the bartender – Kun – greeted Yukhei and Jaehyun warmly. They barged into a lengthy conversation about how Christmas is both a pain and a blessing to blue-collared workers around the world. Jaehyun couldn’t agree more. When asked about his experience with mixing drinks, Jaehyun was about to lie (or exaggerate the truth, however one wants to take it), when Yukhei admitted, quite proudly (which Jaehyun doesn’t understand why), that they have zero experience.

Kun rolled his eyes, but doesn’t stop smiling.

“It’s better you learn on the job anyway,” Kun said, kindly.

Jaehyun was to start work by tomorrow night.

-

The first week on the job had been a wild ride.

Jaehyun wasn’t really observant on his first visit to the bar, so believe to his embarrassing astonishment that he signed himself up in a _gay_ bar. Not that he had any problem with that. Far from it. But, well…

“How could you have not noticed the male strippers when we came here?” Yukhei asked, incredulous. “Everyone was practically flocking towards them!”

“Well, the fact that you had dragged me to the red-light district _without_ telling me kind of took me off-track,” Jaehyun responded, scathingly.

Yukhei laughed. “Well, I think you should get used to it. You’re gonna look at them every night.”

“Why did I let you drag me here?”

“Because I’m handsome and charming and you can’t resist these guns.” Yukhei pulled up a sleeve and flexed his arm.

“Excuse me while I go throw up in the toilet.”

“HEY!”

Jaehyun hadn’t known Yukhei long, but he seemed to be lucky in terms of acquainting himself with people who were generally easy to talk to. It made working in a gay bar on the street red-light district more fun that he expected. On the first day, Jaehyun shadowed Kun as he worked the counter. Since Jaehyun had more experience with handling money, he was assigned to the cashier while Yukhei waited on tables. Yukhei excitedly told Jaehyun he had never been a waiter and was thrilled with all the tips and extra “gifts” he’s been getting from the customers. Jaehyun raised his eyebrows in amusement.

Being employed in the restaurant industry had taught Jaehyun a thing or two about customers. Usually the elderly claimed the food that was served was not what they ordered, even if Jaehyun could swear on Ten’s left foot that he had taken down their orders correctly. Or the shrill, stressed mothers that were dissatisfied with anything given to them. Or the worst (in Jaehyun’s opinion), the people who were clearly his age, and could see that Jaehyun was their age too, flaunting their elite status by talking, much too loudly than needed, about their statistics worksheet due next Monday and sparing a pityingly glance at him.

In short, Jaehyun was prepared for whatever customer came at him.

But, as Kun pointed out before they opened, working in a bar is quite different.

Because everyone either wants to get drunk or is already drunk, they paid no mind to Jaehyun. Sometimes, they would stare at him longer than necessary, but Jaehyun attributed it to the possibility of the alcohol short-circuiting their brains. He later found out that is not the case, when a man came up to Jaehyun and plainly stated, as if he was commenting that it was snowing outside, that he would like to “buy Jaehyun a drink, then fuck him senseless tonight.”

Jaehyun reddened, having no idea what to do or _say_ back, because he has been complimented before, but not like… this. Thankfully, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder and Kun whispered “I’ll take it from here, Jaehyun.” Jaehyun went to the other side of the bar and cleaned the counter, roughly wiping the surface as he willed the color on his face to fade away.

As they were closing up, Yukhei wandered to Jaehyun and asked why he was so red. Kun regaled what had happened earlier, which made Yukhei double over in laughter. Jaehyun glared, but there was no real anger behind it. Kun stepped towards Yukhei and slapped him harshly on the back. The latter almost falling over, beating his hand on his chest whilst coughing.

“You deserved that, you dumbass,” Kun said, exasperatedly. He, then, turned to Jaehyun and offered a reassuring smile. “You’ll get used to it, don’t worry.” As Kun leaves and squeezes Jaehyun shoulder, he turns around and raises an eyebrow to Jaehyun. “But Yukhei’s right, you’ve never been asked to, you know-“

Jaehyun groaned. “Not from you too.”

Kun laughed. “Okay, okay. Sorry I asked.”

Kun didn’t look sorry, at all.

-

Jaehyun had well-adjusted to his job by the second week. When Ten found out that Jaehyun was working in a gay bar, to say he was thrilled was an understatement. However, Johnny had put an end to Ten’s rendezvous out the apartment and placed him back at the kitchen table, reminding him it was midterms this week and finals in December.

Jaehyun smirked at an affronted Ten and waved the both of them goodbye. He had been barely spending time with them, but he wanted to buy them nice presents this Christmas, so earning had been the upmost priority at the moment.

As he walked to the bar, he thought of Mark. It came without warning; he passed by the convenience store he used to work in and saw an attendant decorating the exterior with tassels and a wreath by the door. He wondered if Mark kicked the door, would the wreath fall off. Then his thoughts wander to what Mark’s doing for Christmas, who he’s spending it with, if he’ll be spending it getting punched and kicked in the basement of a dingy bar. The thought depressed him.

It’s not that he knows Mark. At the end of the day, Mark is nothing short of a stranger. But in the time that Jaehyun _had_ come to know him, he thought his wide smiles and teasing tone fit him better than his bruises and gruff voice. Not that he didn’t like it. The gruff voice, that is. The bruises can do away. It just felt wrong seeing Mark almost every other night covered in his or another man’s blood. It was a sight maybe fitted better on an ill-mannered, contemptuous person, not someone who grinned so big and loud it made your jaw ache just looking at it.

Upon arriving at the bar, greeting the bouncer who he had come to know as Hyunwoo, who was incredibly polite, if not, stand-off-ish as all bouncers should be. A thought zoomed past him asking _would Mark like it here?_ and for some odd reason, flustered at the image of Mark dancing in between sweaty, heated bodies. He attempted to push the image away by thinking that Donghyuck definitely would: it’s colorful and flamboyant and everything Donghyuck is. He immediately felt a wash of guilt for ignoring him this long and resolved to message him after work.

Tonight was like any other night; Jaehyun served drinks at the bar and was learning the needed placidity of facing drunks, particularly the horny ones. He saw Yukhei from afar, enjoying himself far too much and conversing more than serving the customers. Kun didn’t seem to mind Yukhei’s endless talkativeness. The hours spanned quickly through the night, and before Jaehyun knew it, it was already four in the morning.

Someone had vomited near the counter, a frequent occurrence, but not a welcome one. Jaehyun was begrudgingly mopping the floor as Yukhei was placing the chairs on top of the tables, when heavy footsteps resounded and stopped in front of Jaehyun. He glanced at the newcomer’s feet. Black loafers.

“We’re closed,” Jaehyun said, continuing to mop on the floor.

The newcomer hummed. “Clearly.”

 _Uh_. “Then, you can come back tomorrow, sir.”

“It is tomorrow.” The tone is benignly amused. It grated on Jaehyun a bit.

“Then tomorrow _night_ , sir,” Jaehyun said with a finality that hopefully cuts the message across.

“I’m sure you can make an exception.” Jaehyun looked up. The stranger is a youthful face with his dark bangs pushed up for a full view of his forehead. He’s wearing a pink and green Hawaiin shirt and tan capri pants, covered in a long maroon coat. He looked like he was going to the beach and merely putting on a coat for show. Jaehyun’s eyes flicked down again to his black loafers, then back to the guy’s face.

The newcomer chuckled. “Like my shoes?”

Jaehyun gripped the mop. “Not really.”

“Oh? Shame. It’s brand new.”

“Baek? What are you doing here?”

The stranger – _Baek?_ Jaehyun thought, he wasn’t sure if he heard it right – slowly smiled and turned around to greet a tired, but delighted Kun. Yukhei followed behind, giving Jaehyun a skeptical look as his eyes darted towards the stranger. Jaehyun shrugged a shoulder. Baek and Kun embraced each other briefly before exchanging greetings.

“Hey, hey!” Kun said, gleefully. “How are you? It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has,” the stranger replied.

“Well…?”

“Well, I’m thirsty,” Baek chuckled. “But your little underling here won’t let me.”

Kun shook his head, laughing. “He’s just doing his job.” Then he peered at Jaehyun. “Hey, you don’t mind spending a couple minutes fixing up a drink, do you?”

Jaehyun looked between Kun, then the stranger, then back to Kun. “… No problem.”

“Your employee doesn’t trust me,” the newcomer said.

“Damn right he shouldn’t.”

Baek and Kun settled on the bar stool as Jaehyun handed his mop to Yukhei. Yukhei quirked an eyebrow towards the two and Jaehyun shrugged again. The latter went behind the counter and crossed his arms. “So, what can I get you?”

The stranger placed his chin on his hand. “What do you think I like, Mr. Bartender?”

Jaehyun gave it some thought. “A glass of milk?”

The stranger’s eyes widened in disbelief, while Kun chuckled.

“Right answer,” Kun said, grinning. The stranger playfully smacked the back of Kun’s head.

“Shut up, old man.”

“Excuse me, but you’re older.”

Jaehyun shuffled on his feet, keeping an unperturbed face. The stranger sighed and gestured flaccidly at Jaehyun. “Your guy doesn’t know how to have fun.”

“Because you’re not fun, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun – Jaehyun tried to spell that name in his head – scoffed. “Now it’s my turn to say _excuse me_.”

In lieu of reply, Kun said. “Two 7 on 7s please.”

Jaehyun nodded, turning around. It wasn’t ordered much in this bar, but it was fairly easy to remember. As he prepared the drinks, Baekhyun and Kun’s conversation carried out throughout the establishment.

“So, what brings you to my humble abode?” Kun said.

Baekhyun smirked. “It’s anything but humble.”

“Well, you get what I mean.”

Jaehyun set down the drinks, the two took them and clinked their glasses.

“I’m having a tiny Christmas party,” Baehyun said, swirling his glass. “I’m pretty sure they want booze, so I was hoping you’d cater to that need.”

Kun, already done with his drink, slid the glass aside. Jaehyun picks it up to wash. “Me? Cater?”

Baekhyun pursed his lips. “Just serving drinks.” Suddenly, Baekhyun pointed to Jaehyun. “I want _him_ to serve.”

Jaehyun’s eyes widened, then looked to Kun. The latter, momentarily surprised by Baekhyun’s decision, eyed Jaehyun warily. “Okay.”

“We might be a lot,” Baekhyun said. He looks over his shoulder to the direction of Yukhei, who was still mopping the floor. “Do you trust him?”

Kun looked over Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Yukhei? He’s a long-time friend.”

Baekhyun’s gaze bored into Kun’s. “But do you trust him?”

Jaehyun wasn’t sure, but he felt a silent exchange pass between the two. The levity that was once there had dissipated, a gravity replacing it. Kun let out a large exhale. “I do.”

“Okay.” Baekhyun offered a placating smile. Kun mirrored it, although it was traced with an apprehensiveness that wasn’t previously there.

“Tomorrow then.”

Kun raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Tomorrow?”

“Hm,” Baehyun affirmed, drinking down his glass. “I’ll text you the address.” He faced Jaehyun, still smiling the same placating smile he gave Kun. “I’ll see you there…?”

Jaehyun didn’t understand that Baekhyun was asking for his name until after a beat. “… Jaehyun.”

“Jaehyun,” Baekhyun murmured. Then, something odd happened. Baekhyun’s face, which suggested him to be at least a fresh college grad, if not for Kun’s comment of him being older, contorted. There was a change in his eyes. What was playful and child-like, morphed into pure maliciousness. Baekhyun looked like an entirely different person.

“Ah.” Baekhyun got up from his seat and grinned, or rather, bared his teeth. Jaehyun did his best not to flinch. “Yes, _Jaehyun_ -“ his name pronounced in a suspiciously similar manner of… “don’t forget the 7 and 7, Kun.” Baekhyun looked Jaehyun up and down as he said this, then turned around and exited the bar.

Once Baekhyun had left, Kun was quick to catch. “Jaehyun, do you know him?” He sounded worried.

Jaehyun shook his head. “First time meeting him…”

Kun eyed him, as if discerning if he was telling the truth. Jaehyun held his hands up. “Swear, Kun, I don’t know the guy.”

“But why…” Kun trailed off. He sighed and looked firmly at Jaehyun. “Okay, I’ll trust you on this one, Jaehyun.” Jaehyun scowled in confusion.

“Why, hyung?” Yukhei asked, leaning his cheek against the mop handle. “Who is he?”

Kun waved his hand dismissively. “Not important.” _That doesn’t sound like it_ , Jaehyun thought. “Just be here by the time I’ll text you, okay? We can’t afford to be late.”

Yukhei opened his mouth to say something, but shut his mouth. Jaehyun could see why. Kun was aggravated and Jaehyun didn’t didn’t understand why. Kun had greeted Baekhyun warmly as if they were long-time buddies; now, he was treating Baekhyun as if he was the secret police in those World War II films.

But Jaehyun didn’t question it. He merely said “yes” and bowed to Kun to get back to cleaning up the bar. It was a quarter to five. He felt weariness catching up to his body and he just wanted to go home and rest to prepare for whatever event they were pulled into.

After Yukhei and Jaehyun finished closing up, they bid Kun goodbye. As they closed the doors of the bar, they heard a _ping!_ of an incoming text message, a shaky breath immediately following after.

-

Jaehyun had restaurant duties during the lunch rush hour, only affording himself five hours of sleep since he arrived home. He went back home again and dunked on the couch for a power nap, not bothering to change from his waiter outfit. Jaehyun felt bad for not contacting Donghyuck as he promised he would, but earning money is a pain needed. He instinctively woke up at five in the afternoon, washed up a little, changed into a clean button-up shirt, grabbed a thick padded jacket, then headed to the bar.

It was a close negative two degrees outside and Jaehyun cursed himself for not bringing his hot packs. His ears were numbing from the temperature, but he didn’t have any muffs or knit hats to protect them. Sadly, his beanie was still with a certain someone. If that certain someone had not decided to throw it away, but Jaehyun didn’t count on it. Johnny was using his muffler and it would be too long to contact Ten to borrow one.

He arrived to see Kun and Yukhei already there, boxes and carts of alcohol on the side. The other shops in the district were beginning to glow neon in the descending, winter darkness. Jaehyun hurried towards them.

“Dude, you look blue. How many layers are you wearing?” Yukhei playfully scrutinized Jaehyun.

Jaehyun tightly wrapped his jacket around him. “…two.”

Kun and Yukhei gawked, aghast. “ _What?”_

“It’s okay,” Jaehyun said, digging his palms deeper into his jacket pockets. “It’s… not that cold anyway.”

“Bullshit,” Yukhei said, real scrutiny now enveloping in his eyes.

Kun pulled out hot packs within his coat and stuffed them in Jaehyun’s pockets. “Don’t you even dare complain, we’ll be standing here for a couple more minutes before our ride gets here.”

Jaehyun’s hands warm at the contact of the hot packs. He almost sighed out loud from the relief. “Ride?”

“Baekhyun,” was all Kun said.

“How come we can’t wait inside?”

Kun bit the inside of his cheek before answering with trained ease, “We need to be prepared at all times.”

The three of them waited outside the bar, all the other stores now fully opening for the night. Yukhei tried to distract all of them from the cold by saying one lame joke after the other. Some weren’t even that funny, but the gesture was appreciated.

Around ten minutes after Jaehyun had arrived, a heavily-tinted, black van drove right in front of the three. All of them were too focused on getting themselves warm to have noticed the vehicle riding up by them. A man in a dark suit came out of the passenger’s seat and looked to Kun. Without another word, Kun quickly pointed to the boxes. The dark-suited man went around the car and opened the back. Kun lifted a box, Jaehyun and Yukhei following with their own boxes. The man didn’t even bother helping. Once they had placed all items in, the man went to the side and slid the door open. The three of them filed silently into the van.

As they were leaving the area, the man wordlessly handed them pieces of cloths. Kun took them and gestured to Jaehyun and Yukhei to blindfold their eyes. Jaehyun and Yukhei blinked. _Blindfold?_ Their eyes screamed in question. Kun’s eyes said _just do it_. Jaehyun glanced at the rearview mirror and saw the man watching them. Jaehyun put on the cloth.

The drive was heavy and silent, save for the traffic of Seoul. Jaehyun could hear his heartbeat thump against his chest. This has got to be the weirdest job I have ever taken, Jaehyun tried to joke with himself. However, the road bumps made Jaehyun jump, his attempts for internal levity failing as his anxiety rose.

What felt like eternity on the road, the van skidded to a sudden halt. The two doors in front slammed open then shut. A ringing stillness echoed throughout the car, everyone’s breathing ten times louder. Jaehyun heard the door to his right slide open, a gruff voice telling them “get out of the car.” Jaehyun was reaching to take off his blindfold when another voice said, “no taking off the blindfold yet.” Jaehyun dropped his hands to his sides.

They were being led, or rather, pushed, to their destination. Jaehyun had glimpses of bright lights through the cloth, but that was it. There was a bustle here and there, low murmurs, but nothing to distinct to visualize in his head. He already had a feeling that Kun was used to this, so he wondered how Yukhei was fairing.

With one violent shove, Jaehyun almost fell, but balanced himself with a firm plant on his foot. He heard a thud beside him, either of his companions fell by the force.

“You can take off your blindfolds now.”

Jaehyun pulled it off. They were in a cemented, character-less room. There were no windows, nor any notable decorations apart from the industrial-designed light bulbs that seemed like half-hearted attempts to make the room look aesthetically pleasing. There were four long tables placed by each end, forming one big table with a hole in the middle. There was a small table in the left corner of the room, looking out of place as the lights.

“Set it up,” the man in the dark suit said, roughly. There were other men in similar suits behind him. The man threw a huge white cloth at Kun, who caught it. “Seven to ten minutes, tops.”

“Okay, thank you,” Kun said. The man in the dark suit closed the door, a clicking of the lock.

Once they had gone, Kun ordered the other two to quickly cover the table with the white cloth and arranging the drinks they brought on the mini table at the corner. Someone knocked harshly at the door, Kun taking that as a signal and giving Jaehyun and Yukhei final instructions.

“No talking. That means you, Yukhei. No small talk. At all. If they ask you something, God forbid they do, then answer them as truthfully as possible. No bullshitting. Other than that, just serve and be as quiet as a church. Got it?”

“What exactly is this, hyung?” Yukhei demanded.

An apologetic look flickered on Kun’s face. “I’m so sorry for dragging you two into this. Normally it would just be me and another guy. You two just happened to be there when…” He didn’t finish, but Jaehyun got the message. _Wrong place, wrong time_ was basically what Kun was trying to say. Somehow, that’s been Jaehyun’s life these past couple of months. The wrong place at the wrong time.

They stood at the sides when the door opened, and the room filled with men in suits or variations of it. All their faces were serious and hardened, which is why when Baekhyun entered the room, he stood out immediately with his boyish features and playful gaze.

When Baekhyun spotted Kun, he did nothing more than blink. Upon seeing Jaehyun, flashed a much too happy smile for it to be sincere. Jaehyun dug his nails into his palm.

They served silently as the men in the room murmured business between themselves. Jaehyun didn’t care what they were saying, just did his job dutifully. Although, he had to serve Baekhyun three times in a row because he would immediately consume the alcohol given to him. Jaehyun knew he was doing this on purpose, but did not see the benefit of pointing it out loud.

Two waiters entered the room, bringing in the appetizer. As they served each plate to the guests, one of them piped up.

“Baekhyun, are we expecting others?”

Jaehyun did notice there were vacant seats to Baekhyun’s left. The latter smiled politely. “They’re on their way, Mr. Yuu.”

“And they are…?”

“Someone of importance. Well, to me, anyway.”

Jaehyun and the two others continued to serve in silence, as well as the guests who continued to speak in hushed tones. All this secrecy and vagueness made Jaehyun tired. The feeling of purposelessness that had agonized him when he was sixteen creeped into his spine. Maybe it was because he was working 24/7 non-stop or he kept meeting people he knows he shouldn’t have, but he it makes him want to lie down and sleep for a hundred years.

So, when the door opened again to reveal the delayed guests, Jaehyun should have felt the normal reaction of surprise when he sees them. Instead, he felt a bigger wave of exhaustion hit his body, because goddammit why does this happen to him more often than possible. Why-

Why is Mark Lee, of all people, Baekhyun’s late guest?

Mark, in a black suit that’s a little big for him but still manages to look decent anyway, nodded in lieu of apology. Seulgi trailed behind him a smart-casual black blouse tucked into flared, violet bottoms. On the way to their seat, where Baekhyun warmly beckoned them to, Mark saw Jaehyun. And Jaehyun saw Mark. For the second time of all their encounters, it felt it was just the two of them in the room. Mark’s eyes widen just a fraction, but Jaehyun was too far away to see it and doesn’t react. However, Mark doesn’t stop walking to Baekhyun and doesn’t give way to, even if Jaehyun was just a few feet away from him. If Seulgi recognized Jaehyun (which she did), she did not give any indication. She did not even glance his way, but could see Mark’s shoulders tense as he approached Baekhyun. She gave a discreet tug of his buttoned-shirt before they sat down, as a way of warning Mark whose company they were in.

Mark needed no reminding.

“Late as always,” Baekhyun said, smiling.

Mark did not reciprocate the niceties. “Traffic held us up at junction five.”

“Hm, that always seems to be the case these days.”

“It is the Christmas season after all.”

“So it is.”

Jaehyun did not want to serve drinks to Mark and Seulgi, but it would look suspicious if he avoided them. He feigned indifference as he asked them their orders.

“Whiskey,” Seulgi said.

“Just a beer,” Mark said, both him and Seulgi not sparing a glance towards Jaehyun’s direction. That was for the best.

“Beer?” a stocky man at the far end said, incredulously. “Don’t bring your vulgarities here, you little bitch. Order something else.”

Mark smiled at the man, but it did not reach his eyes. “If the vulgarity offends you, then I could take my drink elsewhere.”

Baekhyun sighed. “Leesuk, be nice to Mark.”

“After what he had done to Junhee? Why should we?” the man barked.

“First rule,” Seulgi hissed. Everyone else in the room had stilled, except for Kun and Yukhei, who didn’t have the faintest idea what was going on. Jaehyun discerned everyone knew what she meant. He had only been there once, but she had made it clear the first time he had gone.

 _First rule of Fight Club, you do_ not _talk about Fight Club._

“Sir.”

“Huh?”

Irritation flashed in Baekhyun’s eyes. “You’re forgetting your place, Leesuk.”

Leesuk opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. He gulped. “Sorry, _sir_.”

“We’ve already talked about this,” Baekhyun crooned, signaling to Kun for another drink. “You were there. Mark was there. _I_ was there. Now, we wouldn’t want wreck our little… _arrangement_ , now would we, Leesuk?”

A beat. “No, we wouldn’t… _sir_.”

“Okay, good.”

The second course had arrived, leaving the charge tension at bay for the moment. Everyone was much too eager to focus on the meal in front of them than what had ensued just a few minutes ago. Conversation had sparked up slowly, although Mark and Seulgi deliberately refused to take part in any of it. From what Jaehyun could gather, he had an inkling of who these men were. From the way they dressed, to how they spoke, and even how they held themselves. He thought they were gangsters. Not the Good Fellas sort exactly, but the guardedness in speech and movement made it feel close to what could be considered a modern mobster. Even Baekhyun, with his youthful features, emitted a muted but deadly authoritative presence. Which is why Jaehyun couldn’t see where Mark and Seulgi fit into the picture. Especially Mark, who had really gone out of the way to explain to Jaehyun he was not part of any organized crime. Perhaps he was lying, but for some reason Jaehyun doubted that.

The rest of the dinner continued with a steady, but strained energy that could not be removed no matter how much levity they put into their talk. By the end of dessert, the guests shook hands and bowed to Baekhyun, some whispering to Baekhyun before taking leave. When everyone else had gone except for Baekhyun, Mark, Seulgi, and Leesuk, Baekhyun said: “Leesuk, wait for me outside.”

Leesuk did not like the sound of that, but could not disobey. He gave a curt bow before exiting the room.

“Kun,” Baekhyun said. “Go. I will take care of the alcohol and return it to you tomorrow.”

Kun looked like he wanted to protest, nodded instead. He gestured for Jaehyun and Yukhei to leave, when Baekhyun held up a finger.

“Except for… _Jaehyun_.” Jaehyun shuddered. He recognized why he said it familiarly. It was how Mark pronounced his name. Mark had mentioned him to this… _creep_. He felt oddly betrayed. “Leave him. I’d like to speak to him for a bit.”

Alarmed, Kun stared at Jaehyun, not knowing what to do. Jaehyun gave a minute shake of his head, in way of assurance.

“Kun,” Baekhyun said, voice dangerously low this time. “Is something the matter?”

Kun would not take his eyes off Jaehyun, and by that time, Jaehyun was understanding the root of Kun’s fear. “No, none at all. Good night, Baekhyun.” Yukhei glanced at Jaehyun, worried, before they left and shut the door.

All at once, the room felt heavy and dense.

“Baekhyun,” Mark said, breathing uneven. “You did not. _Fucking_. Keep. To the ‘arrangement’ as you’d so dearly like to call it.”

Baekhyun’s eyes bored into Mark. “It’s not like I was actively _looking_ for him. He just happened to be there when I went to my alcohol caterer.”

Mark seethed. “ _Fuck you._ ”

“That’s not nice, Mark.”

Jaehyun inhaled and exhaled. _Always the wrong place at the wrong time-_

“Baek,” Seulgi said, standing up. “Thank you for the dinner. It was…” she couldn’t find the proper word to use, but didn’t bother. “But we should get going. It’s late.”

Baekhyun checked his wristwatch, then hummed. “So it is.”

Mark stood up, abruptly. It was clear to Seulgi, he was in a state of pure, unadulterated ire. He was pale and the muscles on his neck looked as if they were about to burst. He turned away as Baekhyun was offering a handshake and headed to Jaehyun.

“Don’t you dare fucking stop me,” he snarled.

Baekhyun, belatedly registering it was meant for him, raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t going to.”

“I’ll let this slide once.” Mark exhaled through his nose, turned to Baekhyun and pointed at him. “If you break the fucking deal, then so will I.”

Baekhyun frowned. “There’s no need for the kind of language, Mark.”

“Do. You. _Fucking_. Understand?”

There was a beat of silence before Baekhyun replied. “You do not get to talk to me like that, you little _shit_.”

Mark smiled, but it was anything but pleasant. “Then I bid you good night, _sir_.” Mark turned back to Jaehyun and grabbed his wrist, pulling him with him out the room. When they exited, Leesuk was standing by the door, glaring and ready to fight. Mark merely pushed past him and continued straight out of the building. The corridors were stark white and bland and went on for forever. Mark’s grip on the Jaehyun’s wrist was firm and hurt a little, but he let himself be dragged. One of the doors was open and revealed a kitchen full of cheerful chefs. At least they’re having a grand time, Jaehyun thought, staring down at Mark’s black hair.

Once they were out, Seulgi behind them, Jaehyun couldn’t resist inhaling the fresh, night air. He had no idea what time it was, but couldn’t ask because Mark didn’t stop to appreciate the vastness of the outside world. Mark led him to a parking lot and stood by a black Jeep. Seulgi clicked her keys and the car unlocked. Mark let go of Jaehyun’s wrist (would he get a bruise from Mark’s death grip? Jaehyun pondered) and opened the back door, saying harshly to “get in.” Jaehyun hopped into the back seat without another word. Seulgi slid into the driver’s seat and Mark into shotgun.

As they drove out, Jaehyun saw Baekhyun exiting the square, stark white building. The latter’s eyes following the Jeep. Jaehyun slid downwards as to not be seen, but thankfully it was night and the windows were tinted.

Seulgi did not drive recklessly, per say, but Jaehyun had felt thrown from one end of the car to the other. The place Baekhyun had Jaehyun and the rest taken was somewhere deep into a rural-esque area, smothered with trees and other wildlife Jaehyun could not see in the beyond the Jeep’s headlights. It was several minutes of fast driving through the dark, meandering road, until Mark cut through the silence.

“What in _hell_ were you doing there.” His voice was coated with pure rage. Jaehyun did not deserve this.

“I was doing my job,” Jaehyun replied, tersely.

“Don’t do that to me, Jaehyun!” Mark barked. “Why were you there? Did he drag you there?”

Jaehyun narrowed his eyes at the shotgun seat. “Don’t you fucking _yell_ at me.”

“Why won’t you answer the goddamn question?”

“Because you’re being unreasonable.”

Mark laughed, hollow. “Me? Me, _unreasonable_? Are you hearing this, Seulgi?” Seulgi does not respond.

“Fuck _you_ , Mark Lee.”

“Oh, okay, so we’re doing that, huh? Fuck you too. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought you out then. Maybe I should have left you with Baekhyun to do as he pleases.”

“I didn’t ask to be practically man-handled by you.”

Mark threw his hands up in the air. “Now this is _rich_. You’re such a fucki-“

“Enough!” Seulgi shouted, slamming her palm against the steering wheel. “Both of you are being idiots. Mark, calm the fuck down. Jaehyun-“ she glowered at Jaehyun through the rearview mirror “-just answer the goddamn question, would you?”

Jaehyun glared back at Seulgi through the mirror. Normally, he would slink away from her gaze, but tonight, he’s tired. Tired of these people. Tired of seeing Mark at random points of his life. He has no right to feel this way, he knows that, but Mark also does not have the right to yell at him.

Jaehyun resolved into a sigh, looking out the window and watching the silhouette of trees rush past him.

“I don’t have to answer to you.”

Jaehyun could see Mark turning his head sideways.

“You… you’d gone,” Jaehyun continued. “You never came back. I mean, you’re not obligated to, but…”

A few moments of silence passed, the hum of the car’s heater thrumming loud. “I did though… you just, were never there.”

“I quit.”

“The new attendant doesn’t recommend me the new products on the shelf.”

“You could always try being nice for a change.”

“I _am_ nice.”

“Only when need be.”

“Isn’t that the same for everyone?”

Jaehyun gaze shifted to the rear mirror to see Mark looking at him this time. When the latter caught Jaehyun staring, he looked away. Jaehyun went back to looking outside, speeding by the flickering street lamps.

“Why were you there, Jaehyun?” Mark asked, gently this time. Jaehyun looked to the mirror to see if Mark was just acting nice, but was met with an honest observance. Mark seemed to always look more intense at night, more aggressive.

Jaehyun sighed. “I was telling you. It was a job. I work in a bar and he – Baekhyun – showed up and hire my boss and I to serve tonight’s, uh, get-together.”

“If you can call it that,” Seulgi scoffed.

“He just showed up?” Mark said.

Jaehyun nodded. “Yeah. He looked like he knew my boss.”

“Yeah, Kun,” Mark muttered, then Jaehyun saw Mark smirk through the reflection. “Of all the people you chose to work with, you go to the one guy who knew one of Korea’s biggest mafia leaders.”

“You said you weren’t part of the mafia.”

“… Oh? When did I say that?”

“Once upon a time.”

“I was telling the truth,” Mark murmured, his tone soft and, maybe Jaehyun’s ears are boxed, _fond_.

“What?”

“I’m not part of the mafia, _Jaehyun_.” Again, that pronunciation. Jaehyun looked down to his feet. It will kill him one day.

“Then who are you, Mark? Really?”

Mark shifted on the front seat, twisting his body to actually face Jaehyun. Under the passing lamp glares and the moonlight through the trees, Mark looked like he had gone through hell and highwater. His face was thinner the last time he saw him, and there was weariness etched in the lines of his forehead and under-eyes. It reminded Jaehyun of a Tim Burton character.

“It’s not safe for you…”

Jaehyun couldn’t help but snort. “Sorry, but I’ve gone through shit ever since you walked into that convenience store.

Guilt colored Mark’s features and Jaehyun immediately regretted saying that. “Sorry,” Mark mumbled.

“I’m… I’m not.”

Mark tilted his head to side. “You don’t need to lie to me.”

“I’m not, Mark.”

Mark chewed his bottom lip. Jaehyun wondered if his lips had finally healed from their everlasting cuts.

“Okay,” Mark said.

 _What?_ “Okay?”

“Okay,” Mark repeated, sitting back. They said nothing more, and Jaehyun leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes, the gravelly road making their ride more rickety along with Seulgi’s dangerous driving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gahhh sorry this update is short, but i promise longer moments for jaehyun and mark in the next chapter!


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